NEW PATRIOTISM 



A. EDWIN KEIGWIN 









LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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Class Jliil_llS_ 
Book 'l^liiS,^£- 



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THE NEW PATRIOTISM 



The New Patriotism 

An Interpretation 



2 "' 



AV Edwin Keigwin 

Pastor of West End Presbyterian Church 
New York 

Author of "The Heart Side of God" 



New York 
The Rayon Company Publishers 
33 Sullivan Street 






Copyright 1915 

by 
A. EDWIN KEIGWIN 



FEDERAL PRINTING CO. 
NEW YOPK 



\^ 



FEB 10 1915 






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EUsabetb <5ras Ueiowtn 



CONTENTS 

Introduction 9-10 

The Wine of Friendship — A 

Toast 11-13 

I. The New Patriotism 15-29 

II. The Great Discovery 31-47 

III. Foundation of the New Order 49-67 

IV. The Sea of Glass .... 69-81 
V. Antichrist 83-99 

VI. The Lying Spirit .... 101-115 

VII. The Unfinished Task of Abraham 

Lincoln 117-130 

VIII. Can We Afford the Millennium? 

131-140 



INTRODUCTION 

These messages, although deaHng with 
questions of civil interest, are distinctly 
religious. Prepared, as they were, for 
delivery before a Christian audience, a 
certain atmosphere (as musicians and 
artists would say) will be necessary if 
they are to prove helpful. The theme is 
one of perennial interest. Through the 
centuries the sun-crowned summit of this 
idealism has been the consolation of 
many in the valley and the inspiration 
of those endeavoring the difficult ascent. 
The candid student can not escape the 
conclusion that these shining heights were 
ever before Jesus. The same may be 
said of His early followers. So literally 
did they "live and breathe and have 
their being'' in a realm of idealism that 
they were regarded as mere dreamers. 
But we are coming to see, more and more 
clearly, how greatly the world is indebted 
to the dreamer for all progress and human 

9 



Introduction 

well being. Dreams are the outstations 
upon the frontier of civilization, 

A millennial era is no impractical 
hope — for Jesus was nothing if not prac- 
tical. It was His matter-of-fact way 
which occasioned the severest stricture 
of His method and teaching. The purpose 
of these pages is to call attention to the 
practicability of Christ^s program in cer- 
tain instances where it has been clearly 
apprehended and honestly applied. 

Naturally, there are inferences which 
follow. While I would not be dogmatic 
as to the signs of the times or the order 
of coming events, I may be permitted 
to contribute what follows to a discus- 
sion which has continued for more than 
two thousand years. In doing so, it is 
my earnest prayer that some reader may 
join the increasing company of those who 
eagerly look forward to the coming 
Kingdom. 

A. Edwin Keigwin. 



10 



THE WINE OF FRIENDSHIP 



*'And it shall come to pass in that day, that 
the mountains shall drop down new wine." 

—Joel 3:18 

"But I say unto you, I will not drink hence- 
forth of this fruit of the vine, until that day 
when I drink it new with you in my Father's 
Kingdom." 

— Matthew 26:29 



12 



THE WINE OF FRIENDSHIP 

A Toast to "That Day'' 

Years are the wine press, Christ the vine, 
The priceless nectar, mine and thine; 
For ills of life a certain cure; 
To deeply drink is to endure: 
True friends shed heavenly light abroad 
For they have found the heart of God. 
Throughout the new age let us sup 
The wine of friendship from the cup. 

A. Edwin Keigwin 



13 



THE NEW PATRIOTISM 



"Our citizenship is in heaven; from whence 
also we are eagerly looking for the Savior, the 
Lord Jesus Christ." 

— Philippians 3:20 



16 



THE NEW PATRIOTISM 

About four thousand years ago, a 
man, called by Almighty God, when 
seventy -five years of age, set forth upon 
a long pilgrimage toward a divine ideal. 
He journeyed northward through Meso- 
potamia, southward through Syria and 
Canaan, westward into Egypt, eastward 
again into Canaan, and after knocking 
about Canaan for a considerable length 
of time he died in his one hundred and 
seventy-fifth year, without reaching his 
goal. 

But, during his hundred years of pur- 
suit he had so enthralled the fancy of 
his children and his children's children, 
that they conceived a wonderful love 
for Abraham and consecrated their lives 
to the pursuit of the same ideal. They 
banded themselves together by holy and 
solemn covenant to revere the memory 
of their father and to be loyal to the 

17 



The New Patriotism 

purpose that led him out of Ur of the 
Chaldees. We may think of this as the 
birth of patriotism. It is our purpose to 
enquire: how far has the world pro- 
gressed in the footsteps of the pioneer; 
is the divine ideal any more clearly in 
sight? 

It is pertinent to ask, first of all, 
what was this ideal? To Abraham it 
was "a country'' that God would reveal 
to him; it was "a city that hath founda- 
tion, whose maker and builder is God." 
Perhaps the most perfect presentation of 
the goal is furnished by St. Paul,''our citi- 
zenship is in heaven/' And what did Paul 
mean by this ? Did he mean that the human 
race has been pursuing an ideal which is 
only to be attained and realized beyond the 
grave, in a delectable country which we 
call Heaven? Such a conception, as it 
seems to many, would be doing violence 
to the plan of God. This ideal citizenship 
was to be attained upon earth, in a king- 
dom of co-operation, confidence and 
brotherhood. When the apostle Paul says 
"our citizenship is in heaven," we must 
bear in mind the background of the utter- 
ance. The Philippian church was divided. 

18 



The New Patriotism 

In it there were Jewish Christians and 
Gentile Christians, each class loyal to 
its own forebears and national traditions. 
St. Paul is saying "'If you are Christians, 
your patriotism should have a new 
birth, a larger vision. Patriotism should 
include Gentile and Jew." And he illus- 
trates his thesis by a word of personal 
experience. He tells how contact with 
Christ has broadened his own vision. 

''Though I might also have confidence 
in the flesh. If any other man thinketh 
that he hath whereof he might trust 
in the flesh, I more. Circumcised the 
eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of 
the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the 
Hebrews; as touching the law, a Phari- 
see; concerning zeal, persecuting the 
church; touching the righteousness which 
is in the law blameless. But what things 
were gain to me, those I counted loss 
for Christ. Brethren, I count not myself 
to have apprehended; but this one thing 
I do forgetting those things which are 
behind, and reaching forth unto those 
things which are before, I press toward 
the mark for the prize of the high calling 
of God in Christ Jesus.'' 

19 



The New Patriotism 

"Our citizenship is in heaven/' Here 
then, we have set before us the divine 
ideal for society, to-wit: — heavenly mind- 
edness, co-operation, confidence, brother- 
hood, — a world empire that shall include 
all nations. 

Now it could be easily shown, from 
available historic material, that start- 
ing with the early vision of Abraham, 
patriotism, in its very essence, has evinced 
a vitality which rebels against limita- 
tion. Its tendency is to burst out and 
reach after larger thought, more inclus- 
ive idealism. 

We can trace a certain sequence in 
the development of the idea of patriot- 
ism, throughout the centuries. With the 
early Jews it was the love of their father 
— ^family patriotism. Then came feudal- 
ism when, for mutual protection of 
property, nearby famiHes were united 
under the strongest family. Soon there 
emerges a larger conception. Patriotism 
becomes love for a city. In pagan times 
all that passed for patriotism was love 
for one's city. Apparently no one had 
a comprehensive love which could em- 
brace a whole land. Men were Spartans 

20 



The New Patriotism 

or Athenians or Corinthians. Under the 
spur of dire necessity cities would unite, 
in a semblance of national devotion, 
against a foreign foe. But the union 
was short-lived and not vital. Through- 
out the Middle Ages, petty provinces and 
free cities engaged in endless strife. 
Witness, the War of the Roses, and the 
Thirty Years War in Germany. Fol- 
lowing feudalism, can^e loyalty to a king 
— another stage in the development of 
patriotism. These phases of growth are 
clearly discernible, although the exact 
period of transition is more or less blurred. 

The first appearance of nationalism was 
in France, when the people united to 
free their country of foreign rulers. Joan 
of Arc may be said to have evoked the 
first real enthusiasm for a nation. But 
cruelly abandoned by those she had 
served so well, she died at the stake, 
and the warm glow of national enthusiasm 
was extinguished. 

The prevailing ideal of patriotism did 
not emerge until the French Revolution. 
In that bloody event, loyalty to ruler 
gave place to a brand new passion. There 
appeared for the first time a spontaneous 

21 



The New Patriotism 

enthusiasm, marking a new epoch in hu- 
man history. It was in all respects an out- 
burst from the bosom of a people. It 
was the discovery of springs of energy 
and devotion which men knew not they 
possessed. It was the awakening of a 
larger, richer self. The new patriotism 
swept over the world like an epidemic. 
The political doctors endeavored to stay 
it, but it continued to break out in new 
and unexpected places. Since then, the 
world has been a different world. 

To-day, we are about to witness still 
another new birth of patriotism. This 
sublime sentiment, a thing of life, is 
reaching up toward heaven, far above 
all mean, low, selfish and narrow things. 
Having caught its earliest inspiration 
from heaven, it is not satisfied until it 
finds its full bloom and fragrance in the 
heart of Jesus. A new patriotism is coming 
into view, loyalty to humanity — the flag 
of the world. A new empire is being 
born — the world empire of confidence, 
co-operation and brotherhood. 

That the last stage in the develop- 
ment of patriotism has been reached, is 
evident to anyone who reads at all. 

22 



The New Patriotism 

Have you seen that splendid article by- 
President Butler, of Columbia, entitled 
"The United States of Europe"? His 
conception of this new patriotism is a 
new spirit binding together all the na- 
tions of Europe. If a United States of 
Europe, why not a United States of the 
World, I ask? That we have entered 
upon the last stage of development is 
also indicated by the recent widely-read 
article of Ex-President Eliot, of Harvard, 
in which he prophesies a day when we are 
to merge our loyalty to a native land into 
a larger loyalty to humanity. ''There 
can, indeed, be no security for future 
peace in Europe until every European 
nation recognizes the fact that there is 
to be no such thing in the world as one 
dominating nation — no such thing as 
world-empire for any single nation — 
Great Britain, Germany, Russia, Japan 
or China. . . . There can be no secure 
peace in Europe until a federation of 
the European States is established, capa- 
ble of making public contracts intended 
to be kept, and backed by an overwhelm- 
ing international force subject to the 
orders of an international tribunal.'' 

28 



The New Patriotism 

Our hearts are about to break across 
the frontier of every nation and we are 
to know each other better; co-operation, 
sympathy and brotherhood binding all 
together in a new empire. 

And, I would also call your attention 
to the new patriotism reflected in Presi- 
dent Wilson's Thanksgiving proclama- 
tion. The heart of our President is burst- 
ing with this new love, this larger, nobler 
patriotism. These are his words: — 
"Never before have the people of the 
United States been so situated for their 
own advantage or the advantage of 
their neighbors, or so equipped to serve 
themselves and mankind.'' 

There are many movements which are 
manifestations of the spirit of this genera- 
tion. Hearts are yearning for a larger 
expression and a richer hope. Witness, 
Sir Baden Powell's wonderful, inspiring 
Boy Scout movement. The boys of all 
nations are being trained to believe that 
they must dedicate their lives, not to one 
country alone, but to humanity. Such 
illustrations could be multiplied *'ad 
infinitum." 

Jesus is very happy in his selec- 

24 



The New Patriotism 

tion of figures of speech. The King- 
dom is likened to a mustard seed, the 
smallest of all seeds, but when it is 
grown, a vast tree; it is like leaven, which 
a woman took and hid in three measures 
of meal till the whole was leavened. The 
thought is, great expansion — develop* 
ment. Evidently the idea of patriotism, 
as conceived by Jesus, is in perfect har- 
mony with history. Patriotism has been 
growing, growing, throughout all the 
centuries. It is soon to burst forth in a 
glorious bloom. 

Some one has said "the only hope for 
democracy is more democracy.'' To 
paraphrase this remark we may add, the 
only hope for patriotism is more patriot- 
ism. The deplorable results of so-called 
nationalism are due to checking the vital 
forces within the seed of patriotism. 
After four thousand, or more years of 
planting and cultivating a germinal idea, 
it is little short of amazing that so many 
wish to retard the harvest. The heart 
of man is reaching out for a larger ex- 
pression of idealism. The hope of the 
world is conditioned upon taking the 
next step. 

25 



The New Patriotism 

A few years ago a Russian peasant, 
who thought he was serving the larger 
patriotism, cast a bomb at Alexander. 
After throwing the deadly missile and 
seeing its terrible effect, the peasant's 
heart burst the bounds of hatred and he 
ran forward and threw his arms around 
Alexander and said, ^'My brother!'' In 
the heart of that poor peasant, blinded 
by his own idea of patriotism, there was 
a larger patriotism, a truer love, a vaster 
and grander thought seeking to express 
itself. He felt in a moment and entirely 
without reasoning, that he had blun- 
dered on the way toward the goal. The 
trenches of Europe are filled with men 
like that peasant. They are fighting 
each other to-day, only because they 
have been brought up to believe that 
patriotism is love for France, for Eng- 
land, for Russia, for a crowned-head; but 
while they are in the trenches, and as 
they look upon the dead of an alien land, 
their hearts speak as did the heart of 
the poor Russian peasant. This is the 
reason we are reading so many touching 
incidents from the scene of conflict. 

The heart of the world is knocking 

26 



The New Patriotism 

against the barriers of old ideas, saying 
"Let me out, let me out, let me out!'' 
Is it not time to consign to the junk heap 
an idea of patriotism so at variance 
with the sentiment of the world? Let 
us take the next step, — into an empire 
that shall include the whole earth, whose 
laws shall be laws of brotherhood. 

In conclusion, let me impress a vital 
thought. There is a soul to patriotism, 
disclosed by the words of Paul, "Our 
citizenship is in heaven, and we are wait- 
ing with longing expectation for the Lord, 
Jesus Christ." The soul of patriotism 
is the religion of Jesus. Do you know of 
any religion in the world, except Chris- 
tianity, that is not a religion for a race, 
a particular nation and people.^ The 
Christian religion differs from all other 
religions in that it is world-wide, it is 
international. 

This accounts for the far flung reach 
of Apostolic Christianity. It was a world 
religion from the first. As soon as Saul 
of Tarsus was converted, he recognized 
the limitations of Judaism and the inter- 
national possibilities of Christianity. It 
was this vision which made him the 

27 



The New Patriotism 

great missionary. With enlarged heart, 
he broke through the barriers of Hebrew 
prejudice and went forth to disciple all 
nations. 

Was there ever a time when one could 
discern the vitality of the religion of 
Jesus so clearly as just now.? The world is 
moving up to the standards planted 
long ago. But, let it never be forgotten 
that Christ is the beacon light of this 
newer, larger idealism. Without Christ 
the new patriotism will be a failure, 
though we federate the whole world. 

In the palmy days of Greece a par- 
ticular kind of race was popular. All the 
contestants bore burning torches. The 
successful runner who crossed the goal 
line with his torch out lost his victory. 
He might be the first in point of running 
ability, but he must not only run; he 
must keep his torch aglow to the finish. 
May it not be quite possible that this 
torch-race was in Paul's mind when he 
said ^'Forgetting the things that are 
behind and reaching out unto the goal 
that is ahead, I would run the race with 
patience, looking unto Jesus, the author 
and the finisher of our faith." He is bent 

28 



The New Patriotism 

on not merely crossing the line to victory ; 
he is thinking of the light. We may 
federate the interests of the world in a 
vast empire for commerce, safety, peace, 
brotherhood, — but, if we cross that line 
with the torch out, it will be defeat. 
Think of the many victories of civiliza- 
tion which have been utter defeat, because 
the torch went out. 



29 



THE GREAT DISCOVERY 



"Glory to God in the highest; and on earth 
Peace to men of good will." 

— ^LuKE 2:14 



32 



THE GREAT DISCOVERY 

The long-expected Messiah had come, 
bringing with him the first Christmas. 

Across the southern horizon of the Ara- 
bian desert, there emerged a weary camel. 
He stopped and uttered a cry, or 
moan, the camel's way of appealing for 
rest. The rider aroused himself as from 
a dream, looked about and drew a deep 
breath of satisfaction. ''At last, at last.'' 
He crossed his hands upon his breast 
and bowed his head in prayer. Then, 
commanding his dromedary to kneel, 
he stepped upon the sand. 

He was an Egyptian about forty -five 
years of age. His beard was black, 
though streaked with white. His face 
was brown and parched. His head was 
crowned by a red cloth winding. He 
was clad in flowing garments. He was 
unarmed, a thing unusual among those 
who travel in a land infested with brig- 
ands and wild beasts. His eyes were 
fixed and dreamy, giving the impression 

33 



The New Patriotism 

of one who is being led by an unseen 
hand. He eagerly scanned the horizon; 
then spoke: ''They will come. He that 
led me is leading them." 

Presently, a dark speck appeared to 
the east, on the edge of the desert. The 
Egyptian stood rooted to the ground; 
his eyes dilated; his flesh crept chilly, 
as if touched by something supernatural. 
The speck grew, became large as a 
hand; at length there swung into view 
a second camel, tall and white. The 
Egyptian crossed his hands upon his 
breast and looking up to heaven, his 
eyes overrunning with tears of joy, he 
said, ''God only is great. God only is 
good." The camel drew near, stopped, 
knelt, and a second man stepped upon 
the desert sand. 

He was a Hindu. He too was unarmed. 
"Peace be with thee" was the salutation 
of the Hindu. "And to thee, O brother of 
true faith," replied the Egyptian. Then 
they embraced each other in true Ori- 
ental fashion. 

Ere the strangers had completed the 
elaborate greetings required by the eti- 
quette of the Orient, a third camel came, 

34 



The Great Discovery 

rolling like a ship of the desert, out of the 
north. "God only is great/' exclaimed 
the Egyptian and the Hindu simultane- 
ously. 

The newcomer was a Greek. Unlike 
the travelers from the south and east, 
his frame was slighter; his complexion 
white; a mass of waving light hair 
crowned a beautifully moulded head. 
He was clad in a tunic, which he handled 
with unconscious grace. He too was 
unarmed. 

There were salutations. Then the 
Greek spoke: 'T was the last to come 
so let me be the first to speak. My 
home is by the sea. One night I sat at 
my door wondering at the hatred and 
bloodshed among men, and I said a day ; 
is coming when all people shall dwell l 
together in peace. Suddenly, I saw a star j 
slowly rise out of the sea below me and I 
a voice within me said, 'Gasper, thy| 
faith hath conquered! Arise, follow thel 
star and with thy brethren of otherf 
lands greet the Prince of Peace.' " 

Then spoke the Hindu. ''My leading 
was like thine, my brother. One night as 
I walked beside a lonely lake, I said 

35 



The New Patriotism 

within me, ^Since God is love and all 
men are children of God, love is the 
bond which at last will bind all men to- 
gether." Then suddenly I saw a star 
glow tremulously out on the water and 
a voice within me said, 'Thy love hath 
conquered. Blessed art thou, O Melchar! 
Follow the star and with thy brethren 
of other lands greet the Prince of Peace.' '' 
Then the Egyptian told his story. 
*' Grieving greatly at the sufferings and 
wrongs which hatred wrought on every 
hand, I said within myself: 'Surely God 
will come and deliver. But while He 
tarries I must do what I can to minister 
relief.' And one night as I journeyed 
down the Nile on an errand of mercy, 
I saw a wondrous star rise out of the 
water and I heard a voice say, 'Blessed 
art thou, Belthasar. Thy good works 
have conquered. Follow the star. With 
two others from the remoteness of the 
world, thou shalt greet the Savior who 
\ h^come.'" 

v< General Lew Wallace has probably 
given us the true atmosphere and the 
most perfect conception of the first 
Christmas. Christmas is the greatest 

36 



The Great Discovery 

discovery of the centuries. It was a 
world discovery. "Peace on earth to 
men of good will." Not peace by means 
of coercion; not peace secured at the 
point of the bayonet; but, peace secured 
by good will. This great discovery was 
simultaneously made by men of different 
race, tradition and religion. 

If tradition is to be trusted, Egypt, 
India, Greece and Judea united in cele- 
brating the epoch-making disclosure. 
Peace by means of good will. How sim- 
ple; how logical. 

Long and earnestly had God endeav- 
ored to make known the secret, but men 
were not in a receptive frame of mind. 
"Eyes had they, but they saw not; 
ears had they, but they heard not, 
neither did they understand." We owe 
the great discovery, not to the genius 
of the wise men and the shepherds, but 
to their discernment. Discovery is not 
originality. Every discoverer, not blinded 
by egotism, understands perfectly well 
that he is only thinking God's thoughts 
after Him. Copernicus discovered the 
solar system, but the system had been 
there from the time the first morning 

87 



The New Patriotism 

stars sang together. Newton discovered 
the law of gravity; but the universe 
was held together by those invisible 
cords from the beginning of time. Elec- 
tricity is the discovery of yesterday; 
but it has ever been the vital fluid of 
the universe. Psychology is one of the 
newest of all the sciences; but God 
knew and utilized the laws of psychology 
centuries before he broke through the 
crust in Saul of Tarsus and awakened 
the man within the man — the subliminal 
self — St. Paul, the Apostle. We are sur- 
rounded by facts and forces which wait 
to do the bidding of the man who will 
put himself into such harmonious re- 
lations with the unseen that he is able 
to share the mind and purpose of the 
Infinite. 

Thus, when the Magi discovered the 
springs of true and lasting peace in 
hearts of good will they had only come 
upon the lost river which John beheld 
in a vision, proceeding from the throne 
of God and flowing out into all the earth, 
upon the banks of which were luxuriant 
trees of life whose leaves were for the 
healing of the nations. Just a question 

88 



The Great Discovery 

in passing: Does the river flow by your 
door? 

It is amazing how long the really great 
discoveries remain unused; usually upon 
the ground that they are not practical. 
For years the Patent office at Washington 
declined to consider all flying machine 
applications. The authorities took the 
ground that anyone making such an 
application was a crank. They contended 
that the navigation of the air in a con- 
trivance heavier than air was unthink- 
able. Flying machines were classed with 
perpetual motion machines. One day 
along come the Wright Brothers, who 
think they see great possibilities in plans 
which have been pigeonholed for twelve 
years. They build a machine, and em- 
bark for the first aerial voyage; literally 
taking their lives in their hands. The 
world looks on in consternation. The 
knowing ones shake their heads and re- 
mark, ''All the fools are not dead.'* 
When, lo! it works — the trip is safely 
made. Down goes the curtain upon the 
first act in a new epoch of human achieve- 
ment, while the world breaks forth into 
wildest applause. 

39 



The New Patriotism 

The great discovery of the eastern 
wise men has had a similar history. 
Peace by good will? It won't work, said 
Caesar and Herod. It is the impractical 
dream of a Galilean carpenter, said the 
Pharisee. So the world tucked the dis- 
covery away in a pigeonhole. But one 
day the statesmen of two great nations 
put their heads and hearts together and 
said, 'Xet us try it. Let us see if it will 
work.'' So Great Britain and America 
signed a treaty of good will at Ghent, 
agreeing to disarm and settle all further 
disputes before the high court of reason. 
One hundred years have passed since 
then, and the discovery has worked 
like a charm. With no fortifications or 
soldiers upon either side of the interna- 
tional boundary, we have been protected 
solely by good will. 

We are here this morning to celebrate 
one hundred years of peace by means 
of good will. The first suggestion of a 
celebration was made by Hon. W. L. 
King, the Canadian Minister of Labor 
at the Harvard University commence- 
ment of 1909. At that time it was 
thought a monument should be erected 

40 



The Great Discovery 

upon the international frontier at Niag- 
ara. The matter was subsequently dis- 
cussed at the Mohonk Peace Conference 
of 1910 and a special committee was 
appointed with the President of the 
United States as chairman. 

In November, 1911, Mayor Gay nor, 
of New York, at the request of the 
National committee, named a com- 
mittee of arrangements composed of 
136 men to prepare for the celebration. 
Then came the shock of the European 
war. Whether the movement has col- 
lapsed, I know not. One item in the pro- 
posed program, however, should not be 
forgotten. Elihu Root, Ex-Secretary of 
State, made the suggestion that all human 
activities, so far as possible, should abso- 
lutely cease for a given five minutes, on 
February 15, 1915 — the exact anniver- 
sary of the ratification by England and 
America of the treaty of good will 
signed at Ghent. This would afford 
opportunity for the 150,000,000 Enghsh- 
speaking people throughout the world 
to engage in meditations of international 
good will, and silent prayer that this 
peace may be lasting and soon include 

41 



The New Patriotism 

within its scope all the nations of the 
earth. It is to be sincerely hoped that 
this plan may not miscarry. Imagine 
the impression which would be made 
when, at a given moment, every mill 
would shut down, every operator stand 
in silence, every train, trolley, bus, auto, 
ship and pedestrian stop. Think of 
mothers at home and sons at the front, 
mistress in the parlor and maids in the 
kitchen standing in absolute silence for 
full five minutes in meditations of good 
will. I wonder, would there be any con- 
nection between such a scene and the 
vision of John: ''There was silence in 
heaven about the space of half an hour.'' 
I think the world is coming to feel 
with deep certainty that peace is only 
to be found in the direction of good will. 
The experiments tried by Great Britain 
and America, and by Argentine and Chili, 
have not gone unnoticed. Many things 
seem to indicate this; as, for example, 
the international exchange of university 
professors, the New Thought movement 
and the great multiplication of peace 
societies. The Bethlehem star is in the 
ascendent. From every quarter of the 

42 



The Great Discovery 

globe, from every walk in life, they come, 
their hearts aglow with the vision ''Peace 
on earth to men of good will." Strangers 
and enemies once, our faith is that of 
Belthasar: ''They will come; they will 
come; the hand that leads us is leading 
them." 

Standing thus, upon the Arabian des- 
ert, our eyes aglow with a great vision, 
our minds purged by a great world 
sorrow, we must all feel that the word 
for the hour is this — Reconciliation. Rec- 
onciliation between nation and nation. 
You must have heard the heart call 
in that open letter which recently ap- 
peared in the daily press. Mme. Thouma- 
iam, wife of a Turkish Parliament mem- 
ber, requested the women of every na- 
tion, who could do so, to join her, on 
Christmas eve, between the opposing 
trenches to sing such songs as "Hark! 
the herald angels sing" and "Silent 
night! Holy night!" It would not be the 
first time reconciliation has been at- 
tempted by song. One of the few beau- 
tiful memories of our Civil War is the 
night when the bands on both sides of 
the Rappahannock played "Home sweet 

48 



The New Patriotism 

home." Tears flowed together and hearts 
were melted into one, as memory and 
longing moved about, unchallenged by 
guard, among those who should never 
have been aught but brethren. 

Reconciliation between family and 
family. Oh, how many ties of kinship 
have been severed, for no other reason 
than this; the defenses of ''good will" 
were broken down. An interesting legend 
has come down to us out of the dim and 
shadowy past. It professes to account 
for the location of the temple at Jerusa- 
lem. Many, many years ago, two broth- 
ers had adjoining farms. The dividing 
line which crossed Mt. Moriah was fre- 
quently the occasion of dispute. At har- 
vest time each brother gathered his 
sheaves in a stack as far from the line 
as possible. Each brother feared the other 
would lay claim to what did not belong 
to him. One night a new spirit entered 
the heart of one of the brothers. He 
said to himself, ''My brother has a 
large family; I have none. It will be a 
struggle for him to pull through this 
year; the seasons have been against us 
and the crops are poor. I will take some 

44 



The Great Discovery 

of my sheaves and add them to my 
brother's stack." And his heart swelled 
with gladness as he thought of his broth- 
er's surprise. The same night, the other 
brother became conscious of a new spirit 
stirring within him. Turning to his wife, 
he said, 'T am sorry for my brother. He 
has no wife to comfort him and no chil- 
dren to brighten his life. His interest 
is centered in his crops, and now these 
have failed. It is a dreadful blow to him. 
I wonder if we could not spare a few 
sheaves." So it happened that at mid- 
night each brother started for the other's 
field with heart overflowing with love 
and arms full of sheaves. They staggered 
forth into the night. Meeting upon the 
boundary line, they dropped their loads 
and threw their arms about each other 
and wept. And thus, when a temple 
was erected to Almighty God, it was 
located upon the spot where brotherly 
affection brought peace and joy. 

Reconciliation between man and God. 
If we can not get on with each other, 
how can it be otherwise than that there 
will be estrangement from God. "He 
that loveth not his brother whom he 

45 



N, 



The New Patriotism 

hath seen, how can he love God whom 
he hath not seen?" The springs of all life's 
rivers of blessing are to be found in the 
heart of God. Reconciliation with God 
is the first lesson of Christmas. ^'God 
was in Christ reconciling the world to 
Himself." 

''God was in Christ reconciling the 
world to His presence in the world." No 
one has any objection to God, if He will 
but stay where He belongs — in heaven. 
There are those who do not want Him 
meddling in human affairs. ''God was 
in Christ reconciling the world to His 
"program. God's program follows the 
normal processes of nature. Man's pro- 
gram usually works backward. The 
world is too busy to follow God's pro- 
gram of prevention, so we wear out our 
souls in the discouraging labor of re- 
covery. We neglect moral education to 
become specialists in evangelization. We 
quench the first signs of regeneration 
in the youthful heart and toil to our 
utmost for the reformation of misspent 
lives. We deliberately set about to de- 
stroy good will, then enthusiastically fight 
to preserve the peace. John B. Gough 

46 



The Great Discovery 

once said that ''Christian people remind- 
ed him of a group of generously disposed 
people below the rapids, pulling out a 
drowning man here and there, when they 
are being pushed in by the thousands 
above the falls." We must become rec- 
onciled to God's program if the world 
is ever to be saved. 

Throughout the centuries, hatred, sus- 
picion and greed have proved an utter 
failure as world builders. On the other 
hand, Christianity has vindicated its 
claims whenever and wherever applied. 
Have the wise men of this generation had 
the vision of the wise men from the 
East.?^ Heaven grant that henceforth 
nations and individuals may follow the 
star and apply the great discovery — 
''Peace on earth to men of good will.'' 



47 



THE FOUNDATION OF THE NEW 
ORDER 



"And the foundations of the wall of the city- 
were garnished with all manner of precious stones 
— the twelfth, an amethyst." 

Revelation 21:20 



50 



THE FOUNDATION OF THE NEW 
ORDER— AMETHYST 

^*And he carried me away in the spirit 
to a great and high mountain and showed 
me that great city, the Holy Jerusalem, 
descending out of heaven from God. 

"Having the glory of God. And her 
light was like unto a stone most precious, 
even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 

''And the city lieth foursquare, and 
the length is as large as the breadth; and 
he measured the city with the reed, 
twelve thousand furlongs. The length 
and the breadth and the height of it are 
equal. 

''And he measured the wall thereof, 
an hundred and forty cubits, according 
to the measure of a man, that is of the 
angel. 

"And the building of the wall of it 
was of jasper, and the city was pure gold, 
like unto clear glass. 

"And the foundations of the wall of the 
city were garnished with all manner of 

51 



The New Patriotism 

precious stones. The first foundation 
was jasper; the second, sapphire; the 
third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an 
emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, 
sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the 
eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the 
tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a 
jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst/' 

Do we grasp the stupendous magnitude 
of this imagery? Let us modernize and 
visualize the description. Here is por- 
trayed a city 1500 miles in length, 1500 
miles in width, 1500 miles in height. 
*'The length and the breadth and the 
height of it are equal.'' Let down in 
America, the holy city would extend 
from uttermost Maine on the north to 
uttermost Florida on the south, and from 
the Atlantic ocean to Colorado. The city 
located in the old world would include 
Great Britain, Ireland, France, Spain, 
Germany, Austria, Prussia, European 
Turkey and half of European Russia, 
taken together. Stupendous; inconceiv- 
able; absurd. A city of such magnitude 
staggers the imagination and invites 
scoffing. 

Yet, this is the city for which Abraham 

52 



The Foundation of the New Order 

looked; ''The city which hath foundation 
whose builder and maker is God/' This 
is the city of which the saints of old 
dreamed. "'God hath prepared for them 
a city." It was this city which Jesus 
probably had in mind when, on the eve 
of separation, he said to his disconsolate 
disciples "I go to prepare a place for 
you.'' "We have here the bridal city 
of God." 

Is this the wild dream of a disordered 
brain, the hyperbole of an overwrought 
enthusiast.? Not at all. We are looking 
upon a divine revelation, so wonderful, 
so glorious, the half cannot be told be- 
cause of human limitations. Language 
breaks down. The imagination is bank- 
rupt. John has caught a glimpse of 
human society as it is to be erected upon 
earth, after God has finished his recrea- 
tive work upon rebelhous human nature. 
The chapter is a work of art. That the 
fullest measure of the glory which he has 
beheld may be made known, the artist 
has chosen as his pigments those things 
which men and women prize most highly ; 
those rare things for which they toil and 
sacrifice and contend and die — gold and 

58 



The New Patriotism 

gems. It is oriental symbolism at its 
best, but the gorgeous imagery stands for 
reality. 

Study this wall. Wealth to prodigality. 
Jewels in profusion. Nor are these jewels 
chosen at random, but with due regard 
for the sentiment which long centuries 
have attached thereto. Every stone has 
its own significance and message. Even 
the order in which they are arranged 
reveals forethought and design. The 
wall of jasper signifies holiness. The 
foundation of the wall, reading down- 
ward: jasper, holiness; sapphire, truth; 
chalcedony, hope; emerald, immortality; 
sardonyx, love; chrysolyte, gladness of 
heart; beryl, eternal youth; topaz, fidel- 
ity; chrysoprasus, health; jacinth, mod- 
esty. Jewels as rare and costly as the 
virtues which they symbolize. The wall 
of holiness, which is to be the defense 
of the city wherein dwelleth righteous- 
ness, will rest upon human attributes, 
now rare, whose resplendent beauty will 
forever dazzle the eye, and secure to the 
inhabitants eternal immunity from every 
enemy who would destroy prosperity, 
peace and tranquillity. 

54 



The Foundation of the New Order 

Observe please, that upon the amethyst 
rests all the other gems in the foundation 
wall of the holy city — *'the twelfth, ame- 
thyst." What sentiment is embodied in 
this precious stone? From earliest times 
the amethyst has symbolized self-control. 
Long years before the New Testament 
alluded to this stone, the Persians used 
amethyst cups; it being their belief that 
one could drink liquor from such a chalice 
without suffering intoxication or con- 
tracting a habit. 

You see we have come upon a teaching 
as unmistakable as it is timely, namely: 
the whole defense of ideal social con- 
ditions must rest upon self-control. Re- 
gardless of the school of literary criti- 
cism to which one belongs; whatever 
one's views may be as to the nature of 
that inspiration under which John writes; 
whatever one's interpretation of the 
teaching of this much discussed book of 
the Revelation, we find ourselves in 
fullest accord with the statement that 
self-control is the gem-stone upon which 
the walls of an enduring civilization 
rest. Indeed, the fact is so obvious as 
to need almost no comment. 

55 



The New Patriotism 

That time-honored book of wisdom 
(Prov. 25:28) appHes the thought to 
each Hfe in these words: *'He that hath 
no rule over his own spirit is Hke a city 
that is broken down and without walls/' 
The identical figure of speech applied 
to the individual life. "A city without 
walls/' And we need not look far to find 
abundant illustration of the too-often 
overlooked fact that the jeweled walls 
which protect pure souls from the inroads 
of the enemy stand or fall in proportion 
as the amethyst is present or wanting. 
"The twelfth, amethyst.'' How many, 
many men and women we have known 
whose souls dwelt within walls as glorious 
as those seen by John. Resplendent char- 
acters they were. Many rare graces made 
their lives beautiful and apparently se- 
cure — love, beauty, happiness, purity, 
hope, wealth, culture. We had thought 
their citadel impregnable. But, in an un- 
suspecting moment, the entire structure 
of life collapsed. They became "a city, 
broken down and without walls." The 
twelfth jewel, the amethyst, was lacking. 

More and more the world is coming 
to realize this. Shrewd lawyers delib- 

56 



The Foundation of the New Order 

erately attack the amethyst in the wall 
of the opposing attorney's argument and 
the witnesses' testimony. Let calmness 
give place to anger and down goes the 
case. Other jewels may flash forth 
from the foundation; a righteous cause, 
familiarity with the law, rare oratorical 
ability, but there must be, beneath it all 
a genuine self-control — '^the twelfth, ame- 
thyst.'' 

Many portions of scripture might be 
drawn upon to illustrate and emphasize 
these thoughts. Could a more ideal 
condition of life be conceived than that 
represented in the Garden of Eden? A 
perfect world, sinless individuals, abun- 
dance everywhere and peace between 
man and beast. But the wall of the 
Garden fell when Adam and Eve lost 
their self-control. Separated from all 
discussion, whether allegory or history, 
this is the teaching of the story of the fall. 

What we observe as true in individual 
life, John pictures as true to a more 
marked degree in collective life. Society 
is a multiplication of units. We never 
tire of pointing to the gems in the foun- 
dation of our Republic, — freedom, per- 

57 



The New Patriotism 

sonal liberty, the rule of the people, 
equality of heritage and opportunity. 
Yes! Yes! We would not mar the luster 
of a single precious jewel, for the posses- 
sion of which our fathers labored and 
died. The flash of light from their many 
facets is seen from the darkest corners 
of the earth. Nevertheless, these gems 
should rest upon the amethyst. Why our 
much-prized constitution.? Why the 
zeal for law and order.? Every instrument 
of government is an effort to supply 
strength and stability to an otherwise 
weak, though beautiful structure, by 
carefully setting control in its divinely 
appointed place. 

We resent the imputation, ''A repub- 
lic is only an experiment.'' But upon 
sober reflection, how utterly useless to 
gainsay the assertion, in the light of his- 
tory and observation. A republic is 
an experiment. Why.? For the reason 
that so much reliance has been placed 
upon legal props as substitute for the 
genuine jewel — self-control. We would 
not belittle the law — if we may not have 
the real gem we must have the artificial. 
There must be compulsory control where 

58 



The Foundation of the New Order 

there is no self-control. Personal liberty 
is a misnomer in the nature of things. 
Liberty is never personal, nor can it be. 
Liberty is personal only in so far as it 
is harmoniously related with other per- 
sons. And that dividing line is so fine 
as to be negligible, for where my per- 
sonality ceases to touch another human 
personality it begins to touch the per- 
sonality of God. There is no part of the 
wall of a true republic which does not 
rest upon control, of one kind or another. 
We must continue to be controlled by 
law until the holy city, as seen by John, 
is realized; until all men shall have 
learned to control themselves through 
the regulative forces of a divine life. 
Then ''love will be the fulfilling of the 
law." 

May we not regard those words of 
Jesus, "I am not come to destroy the 
law but to fulfill," as pointing the divine 
finger to the amethyst, the twelfth in 
the walls of the divine order of human 
society.? We are dreaming strange dreams 
of ideal social conditions, these days. 
Let us not overlook the fact that self- 
control is the precious jewel upon which 

59 



The New Patriotism 

the entire structure is to rest. "What is 
the best government/' asks Goethe. 
"That which teaches us to govern our- 
selves.'' 

Passing now to a yet more important 
observation, we must look to God to 
supply this amethystine foundation stone. 
This thought loomed large before John's 
inspired mind. He saw the holy city, 
this new order of society, "descend- 
ing out of heaven from God." It was not 
gotten up as reforms, or worked up as 
popular opinion, or built up as world 
powers. You see, the plan is quite origi- 
nal. Self-control descends, and with it 
many other virtues. 

The calm verdict of History accords 
with this view. Listen to the testimony 
of the distinguished Burke: "To estab- 
lish a government is easy. It is only for 
one to command and another to obey. 
To give freedom is easy. It is only to relax 
control and let men do as they please. 
But, to establish a free government is 
the most difficult achievement of the 
human reason. This can only be effected 
by great masses of the people who have 
learned habitual self-control through the 

60 



The Foundation of the New Order 

regulative forces of a genuine Chris- 
tianity." 

Such a conclusion is logical as well as 
Scriptural. What is self-control, if not the 
imp art at ion of the Divine nature — sov- 
ereignty, by which perverse human na- 
ture is brought into subjection. Whatever 
of weakness or wrong there is in the 
present social order may be traced to 
our loss of the Divine image. Every day 
we see this more clearly. 

What unspeakable hope there is in the 
consciousness that God is interested in 
the builders — that He is co-operating. 
Under our very eyes, the walls of a new 
order are rising. Every now and again 
we see His hand very clear. Long, long 
ago He laid the cornerstone in the per- 
son and work of that sublime Man of 
Galilee. Starting at this point, one may 
easily follow the amethyst foundation 
through the various activities of life and 
epochs of history. At first the work pro- 
gressed very slowly indeed. But, during 
the past fifty years, the development of 
the plan has proceeded with great rapid- 
ity, in national assemblies, courts, schools 
and society in general. 

61 



The New Patriotism 

It is the amethyst which we see in the 
changing attitude of law. Not revenge, 
but recovery is increasingly the spirit 
manifested toward the wrongdoer. This 
is in line with the cornerstone. ^'The 
Son of Man is not come to destroy but 
to save." There are hundreds of men, like 
Judge Lindsay, who are groping about 
after a saner method of dealing with 
those jewel virtues which have collapsed 
for lack of foundation. 

In the lifting of social service to a 
higher plane than amelioration of human 
woe, there is trace of the amethyst. 
The new humanitarian would not only 
supply relief, but restore capacity to 
those who are "A city that is broken down 
and without walls." 

The ever increasing Peace talk is 
another indication that God is letting 
down a new civilization, founded upon 
self-control. Even where war is waged, 
upon both sides it is conceded that it 
is war for peace. War, then, is but a 
symptom of convalescence. The world 
is weary of a civilization which is founded 
upon selfishness and hatred. We would 
be done with it forever. Excavations 

62 



The Foundation of the New Order 

are made before foundations are laid. 
Possibly war is the great steam shovel. 
Let us hope it is no more. 

In the realm of education there are 
many signs that God is at work laying 
deep and broad the foundation of self- 
control. For some time past the Higher 
Criticism has been at work blasting at 
the walls of learning. There has been 
born a new passion for things that abide. 
Curriculum and precedent have alike 
given way before the consuming enthusi- 
asm for an unselfish manhood and wom- 
anhood. Under the transforming touch 
of a new idealism, our young people 
are going forth from the classroom with 
eyes and heart aflame for service to hu- 
manity. 

Considering society as a whole, the 
great European war notwithstanding, 
there is abundant evidence that new 
attention is being given to the amethyst 
foundation. This age has recognized its 
own image in the parable of Jesus: 
"Therefore whosoever heareth these say- 
ings of mine and doeth them not shall 
be likened unto a foolish man, which 
built his house upon the sand : And it fell : 



The New Patriotism 

And great was the fall of it/' The much 
vaunted walls of civilization have fallen 
because they rested upon selfishness. On 
every hand the heart of mankind is "be- 
lieving unto righteousness/' and with 
mouth and pen ''confession is being made 
unto salvation/' 

And what shall one say of that greatest 
of all signs of returning social sanity — 
the temperance movement. If there were 
no other, in this world movement we 
cannot fail to see that a new social 
order is coming down from God out of 
heaven. Alexander the Great conquered 
the world, but liquor conquered him. 
He became ''a city broken down without 
walls," because the amethyst foundation 
was lacking. Very evidently it is the 
purpose of the great nations to rebuild 
fallen men. ''Touch not, taste not, 
handle not" has been taken out of the 
inspired book to be incorporated in 
labor contract, and military and naval 
order. With one stroke of the pen, 
the Czar has liberated 130,000,000 people 
from bondage to vodka. Think of a na- 
tion literally wiping out a traffic which 
netted $500,000,000 a year, solely because 

64 



The Foundation of the New Order 

it would be in the interest of self-control. 
With such tangible evidences upon every 
hand one need not be a prophet to say 
that a new era is dawning. 

Upon one occasion, an ambassador 
was sent from Epirus to inspect Sparta. 
Now Sparta, next to Athens, was the 
most powerful and important city of 
Greece, but the secret of her greatness 
was obscure. In art and intellectual cul- 
ture she was inferior to many of the 
Greek states. In conservatism, discipline, 
simplicity of character and strong re- 
ligious scruples lay her chief claim to 
eminence. The ambassador was sur- 
prised to find, not a city after the pattern 
of Athens, but a cluster of open villages 
in a plain. The houses stood in spacious 
gardens, and there were no walls or 
fortifications. The visitor remarked upon 
the absence of protecting walls. Lycur- 
gus, the commander, assured his guest 
that in due time he would be shown the 
walls of Sparta. So, during the night 
the army was assembled and at daybreak 
Lycurgus conducted the ambassador to 
an advantageous position and pointing 
to the solid ranks on every side, he said 

65 



The New Patriotism 

"Behold the walls of Sparta! And every 
man is a brick!" 

Possibly this is the night season, 
when God is marshaling the real defenses 
of society. As the morning breaks, He 
may rouse the nations from their slum- 
ber and, pointing to the men and women 
of real poise and self-control, he may sur- 
prise the skeptical with the words ''Be- 
hold the walls of an abiding civilization! 
And every man is a jewel." 

In such an event what, think you, will 
be the foundation upon which the re- 
splendent jeweled walls will rest? Upon 
"the twelfth — an amethyst." 

•*If you can keep your head when all about you 

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; 
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you 

But make allowance for their doubting too; 
If you can wait, and not be tired of waiting, 

Or being lied about don't deal in lies. 
Or being hated don't give way to hating, 

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise. 

If you can dream and not make dreams your 
master; 
If you can think and not make thoughts your 
aim, 
If you can meet with triumph and disaster 
And treat those two imposters just the same, 

66 



The Foundation of the New Order 

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken 
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, 

Or watch the things you gave your life for broken, 
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out 
tools; 

If you can make one heap of all your winnings 

And risk it on one turn of pitch and toss, 
And lose, and start again at your beginnings 

And never breathe a word about your loss; 
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew 

To serve your turn long after you are gone, 
And so hold on when there is nothing in you 

Except the Will which says to them "Hold on"; 

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue 

Or walk with Kings — nor lose the common 
touch 
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, 

If all men count with you, but none too much; 
If you can fill the unforgiving minute 

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, 
Yours is the earth and everything that's in it. 

And what is more — you'll be a Man, my son." 

Kipling 



67 



THE SEA OF GLASS 



"And before the throne was a sea of glass. 
And them that had gotten the victory over the 
beast stand on the sea of glass, having the harps 
of God. And they sing the song of Moses, the 
servant of God, and the song of the Lamb." 
— ^Revelation 4:6 and 15:2 



;■ ■] 



THE SEA OF GLASS 

The mind never wearies of dwelling 
upon the marvelous imagery of this work 
of divine art — the Revelation of St. John. 
There is some difference of opinion as 
to interpretation and historic significance. 
But, most of the commentators agree 
that the passage before us has reference 
to events immediately preceding the 
second coming of Jesus and the dawn 
of the millennium. It is very important 
that we get clearly before us the details 
of the picture in terms of to-day. 

Men have been planting vineyards 
of wickedness, and the vines have now 
brought forth their fruit. Upon these 
vines are clusters of selfishness, cruelty, 
jealousy, hatred. John hears a voice out 
of the throne; * 'Thrust in the sickle for 
the grapes are ready to be gathered." 
So the angel thrusts in his sickle and tak- 
ing the clusters of man's fornication and 
wickedness, casts them into a great wine 
press out of which pours a stream of 

71 



The New Patriotism 

blood, reaching even unto the horses' 
bridles. Seven golden bowls are filled 
with the blood. Each bowl is held by an 
angel clad in white, who awaits a com- 
mand. Again a voice is heard in heaven, 
"Pour out the bowls.'' The first angel 
pours out his bowl upon the earth and 
there is famine, pestilence, war, suffer- 
ing and bloodshed; the second angel pours 
out his bowl upon the sea and there are 
great naval engagements, the sea being 
so clotted with blood that everything 
living therein is destroyed; the third 
angel pours out his bowl upon the foun- 
tains and the springs become blood — 
the springs of youth, poetry, philosophy, 
education and religion; and the fourth 
angel pours out his bowl upon the sun, 
(in the book of the Revelation the sun 
indicates political power) and those who 
are in political power are scorched with 
fire; the fifth angel pours out his bowl 
upon the seat of the beast (the seat of 
the beast is Babylon, the emblem of trade) 
and commercialism runs to blood; the 
sixth angel pours out his golden bowl 
upon the river Euphrates (dividing the 
Occident and the Orient) and the river 

72 



The Sea of Glass 

is dried up and all the nations of the 
earth come together in a great battle, 
the battle of Armageddon; and the sev- 
enth angel pours out his golden bowl 
upon the air, and the air rains missiles, 
and men are so distressed that they 
blaspheme God. 

But in the midst of the picture, John 
sees a throne, and above the throne a 
rainbow, and upon the throne is Christ, 
clad in garments of light and power. 
Before the throne is a sea of glass (tran- 
quillity) and beside the sea stand those 
who have been delivered from the beast 
of hate and selfishness, and they have 
the harps of God in their hands; and 
they are singing the song of Moses and 
of the Lamb, "'Thou art worthy to re- 
ceive power and dominion and glory, 
for Thou wast, and art, and evermore 
shall be.'' Such is the picture of the 
world, on the eve of the millennium. 

Now you notice in this picture there 
is but one redeeming feature, humanly 
speaking, the sea of glass before the 
throne, and the company with harps in 
their hands. Notwithstanding the thun- 
der and lightning proceeding out of the 

73 



The New Patriotism 

throne, and the pouring out of the 
bowls of retribution, there is one place 
where quietness and peace reign. The 
sea is like unto glass, it is so smooth. 
Like unto crystal, it reflects beauty and 
glory. 

The teaching of the passage seems 
reasonably clear. Those who have their 
eyes upon Christ's throne can be per- 
fectly tranquil, even exultant, in the 
midst of thunder and lightning, — hail 
and bloodshed. We need to meditate 
upon this picture, for I fear we are for- 
getting certain important elements of 
Christianity. The effect of religion, as 
some good people think, is to make one 
doleful. Obviously, such were not the 
views of the one who painted this word 
picture. Heine, whose monument on 
the East Side was recently unveiled, 
said this: "^'Religion is a worship of sor- 
row.'' Mr. Heine was a great poet and 
a great philosopher. He inherited some 
of his ability from devout Jewish an- 
cestors and some from scholarly Ger- 
man forebears. But Mr. Heine was neither 
devout nor scientific when he said, "Re- 
ligion is a worship of sorrow," for it 

74 



The Sea of Glass 

is nothing of the sort. The primary 
purpose of reHgion is to make one tran- 
quil in the midst of tumult; to put a 
harp in one's hand, when everything 
is going wrong. Read the Beatitudes. 
How many times I have heard people 
say ''Blessed are they that suffer, blessed 
are they that mourn." Jesus didn't say 
so. He did not put a premium on suffer- 
ing. What do the Beatitudes say.? ''Bless- 
ed (the word means happy) are they 
that mourn for they shall be comforted." 
It is not happy are they that mourn, but 
happy are they that can find comfort; 
and that is religion. And how did He 
conclude these Beatitudes; after saying 
"Blessed are the poor, and blessed are 
the hungry and the meek?" Listen! 
* 'Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great 
is your reward." 

The sea of glass pictures the state of 
mind of hundreds of people who, with 
horrors of war and social unrest on every 
hand, have their eyes upon the throne of 
Christ. They are saying, "Isn't it great; 
isn't it great! It is the beginning of the 
end of suspicion and hatred." Tranquil, 
and even exultant they are in the midst 

75 



The New Patriotism 

of horror, as they tune their harps of 
praise. "Before the throne was a sea of 
glass." 

Lest it seem to some that I have over- 
drawn the interpretation, let me suggest 
that you turn to the Bible and study the 
effect of religion upon men of old. Did 
ever man suffer more than Job? But he 
had perfect tranquillity, despite boils and 
poverty, the death of his children, and 
the loss of flocks and herds. Job breaks 
into a song of gladness when his friends 
offer him cold and cheerless worldly 
comfort, "'I know that my Redeemer 
liveth, and though after my flesh, worms 
shall destroy my body (his boils were full 
of worms) yet with my eyes I shall see 
God.'' That is the effect of religion upon 
a man who gets the right kind. He stands 
beside a sea of glass. And you remember 
Paul and Silas, when thrust into a dun- 
geon, took up their harps and sang 
praise to God. Such is the effect of relig- 
ion. 

Or recall the story of Jehoshaphat. 
When he was surrounded by the Am- 
monites and they were about to destroy 
him, God said, "You need not worry 

76 



The Sea of Glass 

about this. The battle is not yours; it is 
God's. You will not have to fight." And 
Jehoshaphat, the next day, sent forth a 
great chorus to meet the enemy, with 
songs of praise to God upon their lips. 
The Ammonites were amazed. It was a 
new kind of warfare. They said, ''We 
have no weapons for such warfare." 
So they fled precipitately. 

I do not know to what extent this is a 
picture of your life. I do not know what 
particular suffering may have come to you 
as a result of the world war. But let me 
say this, with all the authority of God 
behind it, if you have the right kind of 
religion, if you have been drinking deep 
of the wells of salvation, your heart and 
your mind will be like a sea of glass, 
because you know it is coming out all 
right. 

We cannot turn from our study with- 
out a word as to the ground for this 
quietness. I believe in mental suggestion 
and thought control. But it is splendid 
to feel good solid ground beneath one's 
effort to preserve an unruffled mind. 
Look at the picture. What was in the 
center? A throne. What was above the 

77 



The New Patriotism 

throne? A rainbow. On the throne? 
Jesus Christ in all His glory. The reason 
this company could stand exultant in the 
midst of blood, lightning and thunder, 
was because they were looking at the 
throne upon which Jesus is seated. Also, 
they were thinking of the power of that 
throne in the past. They recalled the 
divine sovereignty behind Moses and his 
rod. And there is more in that story of 
Moses than appears at first sight. You 
remember Moses cast the rod upon the 
ground and it became a serpent; and it 
remained a serpent so long as it was out 
of his hand. But, the moment Moses took 
the rod again into his hand, it became the 
sceptre of authority and blessing to the 
children of Israel. It was this fact which 
the song of Moses celebrated beside the 
sea of glass — the song commemorating 
the return of the sceptre to the hand of 
the rightful ruler. 

The trouble with the world to-day is 
this: the sceptre of Christ's sovereignty is 
out of His hand; therefore is sovereignty 
a serpent. So long as sovereignty is in 
your hand or in the hand of any earthly 
power, just that long will the sceptre 

78 



The Sea of Glass 

continue to be a serpent, and it will 
eat up all the smaller serpents until 
there is but one big serpent. Oh, may 
Jesus reach down and take the serpent 
by the tail, for then will our rods become 
the insignia of beneficent authority, and 
the means of deliverance for all people. 
With their eyes upon the throne ^'they 
sang the song of Moses the servant of 
God and the song of the Lamb." 

Very recently another disastrous land- 
slide occurred in the Culebra cut of the 
Panama canal. Think of the disappoint- 
ment, after spending such a vast amount 
of money, to have these slides recur with 
such frequency. It is most disquieting. 
One would expect Colonel Goethals and 
those associated with him to give up the 
job as a failure. But, what did the news- 
papers report? When the news of the 
landslide was brought to the Panama 
Commission in Washington, the mem- 
bers were entirely unmoved and said they 
were glad that it had occurred, because 
the sooner the loose earth comes away, 
the better. They did not say, 'Tt is a 
failure. We have wasted our money.'' 
They did not say that; why.^ There is a 

79 



The New Patriotism 

vision which has been their inspiration 
from the earhest inception of that gigan- 
tic undertaking; and that vision enabled 
them to be perfectly tranquil, even exul- 
tant, in the presence of setback. 

My friends, there has been a vast land- 
slide in civilization; a mighty big slip. 
Who would have thought that European 
diplomacy and culture could slip so 
disastrously. That these great countries, 
in this enlightened generation, have 
dammed up the channel of international 
prosperity and good will is enough to 
stagger faith and discourage Christian 
propaganda. But shall we join in the 
lament; ''Civilization is a failure. We 
might have known such an ideal pro- 
gram would not succeed." Nay! Nay! 
We too have a vision. We see the King 
upon the throne. Therefore, like the 
Panama Commission, let us say ''The 
slip does not distress us in the least. 
Selfishness, the loose earth, had to come 
away. It had to be; the sooner the 
better." 

Oh, King all glorious, lift thy people, 
this morning, out of the mire and place 
them in the choir. "And before the 

80 



The Sea of Glass 

throne was a sea of glass, and they that 
had been dehvered from the power of 
the beast stood beside the sea with the 
harps of God in their hands/* 



81 



ANTICHRIST 



"Ye have heard that antichrist shall come, 
even now there are many antichrists." 

—I John 2:18 



84 



ANTICHRIST 

" Ye have heard that antichrist com- 
eth; even now have there arisen many 
antichrists. These words occur in what 
is known as a general epistle. That is 
to say, the letter was not written to 
any particular church. It is an open 
letter, a circular letter, to all the churches 
of Asia, and for all churches for all time. 
John reminds the church of a warning 
well known to the early Christians: ''Ye 
have heard.'' When and how had the 
Christians of that early day heard about 
antichrist.? The answer is found in this 
very significant fact; that under the 
Old and New Testament dispensation 
alike, God's people were apprised of the 
presence of an antagonist who would con- 
tinually dog the footsteps of Christ. The 
earliest prophecy of the coming of Jesus 
was darkened by the announcement that 
a serpent would bruise His heel, and 
throughout the various epochs of human 

85 



The New Patriotism 

history the people of God had recognized 
the presence of a rival spirit. 

For every good and pious Abel there 
was a jealous and murderous Cain; for 
every holy order of Moses and Aaron, 
working divine miracles, there was an 
association of false prophets — ^Janes and 
Jambres — practicing black arts; for every 
holy city, Jerusalem, there was a wicked 
city, Babylon; for every loving John, 
there was a tyrant, Herod; for every 
Christian martyr, there was a cruel, 
bloodthirsty Nero. Throughout the whole 
stretch of human endeavor upward there 
has been an influence pulling downward. 
And, as the drama of the world's 
redemption approaches the concluding 
scene, we are informed that this subtle 
personage will be more clearly revealed 
as "the man of sin,'* all antichristian 
endeavor being concentrated in one ma- 
jestic personality, the embodiment of 
the hatred and the cruelty of the past; 
the composite reincarnation of Cain, 
the false prophet, the persecutor Nero, 
and the age-long antagonism against 
Jesus, the Christ. Such is the Bible 
picture of antichrist, who is to be utterly 

86 



Antichrist 

destroyed by the breath from Christ's 
mouth. 

Who is this antichrist, this supreme 
personaHty, this wonderful and potent 
spirit? The early Christians confident- 
ly affirmed that Antiochus Ephiphanes 
was antichrist. Later the Roman papacy 
were thought to be antichrist. By an 
interesting coincidence the Roman Cath- 
olic church regarded Protestantism the 
antichrist. Then Mohammedanism was 
proclaimed the antichrist. 

But John tells us that antichrist was 
present in his own day; "even now are 
there many antichrists." The Roman 
Catholic church can not qualify, inas- 
much as this church did not exist at the 
time John wrote. The same may be said 
of Protestantism and Mohammedanism. 
Few students can fail to recognize the 
presence of antichrist in the man and the 
institutions to which allusion has been 
made. With humiliation one must confess 
that antichrist walks the pages of the 
noblest history and masquerades in the 
garments of the holiest cause. 

We have yet to answer the question: 
Who is antichrist.? A study of the word 

87 



The New Patriotism 

itself reveals this interesting fact: Anti- 
christ is sometimes masculine and some- 
times neuter. Antichrist is not necessa- 
rily a man. Now he is a person; then it is 
a nation; again it is a movement, a subtle 
influence. Speaking comprehensively, 
antichrist is essentially the caricature of 
Jesus. He is a rival of Christ. He is a 
counterfeit of the Savior of the world. 

How, then, are we to recognize him 
when he appears ? That is easy. In 
every great city is a ^'rogues' gallery.'' 
There is not a criminal of any note whose 
photograph is not there. When detec- 
tives would apprehend a criminal they 
carefully study the pictures in the rogues' 
gallery. The Bible is the finest kind of 
rogues' gallery. One cannot conceive of a 
foe to the cause of righteousness whose 
photograph is not there to be found. A 
wonderful feature about the Bible rogues' 
gallery is this: Not only are we given 
the physical appearance, measurements 
and finger-prints, but, what is even more 
important, a photograph of the mind, 
soul and spirit. 

Now let us look at one picture of anti- 
christ. Back here in the book of Daniel 

88 



Antichrist 

we have it: ''And the king shall do ac- 
cording to his will; and he shall exalt 
himself, and magnify himself above every 
god, and shall speak marvelous things 
against the God of gods, and shall pros- 
per till the indignation is accomplished. 
Neither shall he regard the God of his 
fathers nor the desire of women, nor re- 
gard any god; for he shall magnify him- 
self above all. But in his estate shall he 
honor the God of force: and a God 
whom his fathers knew not shall he honor 
with gold and silver and with precious 
stones and pleasant things. Thus shall 
he do in the strongholds, and he shall 
cause them to rule over many and shall 
divide the land for a price." 

By the help of such photographs one 
may quite readily recognize the presence 
of Antichrist, appearing not in one but 
in very many countries — in books, maga- 
zines, newspaper editorials and events. 
For example, here are a few quotations 
from standard publications: 

"The peace spirit is bald materialism, but the 
war spirit is the highest moral and spiritual 
idealism. You ask what of the Christian law of 
love? It applies solely between individuals 

89 



The New Patriotism 

(of the same state). The idea that the weak 
have the same right as the strong is subversive 
of human development. War and courage have 
done more great things than charity." . . . **Man 
should be trained for war, and women for the 
recreation of warriors. All else is folly. The 
super-man will be scornful, merciless and supreme- 
ly fit." . . . ''Christianity is mostly responsible 
for the deterioration of the human race. It has 
made humanity worse, not better. It is the most 
dangerous of all religions. It has waged a deadly 
war against the highest type of man." .... It 
makes the strong and efficient man its typical 
outcast. It has taken the part of the weak and 
low. . . . Sympathy consists merely of the strong 
man giving up some of his strength to the weak 
man. This is a depressant. One loses by sympa- 
thizing. If proof of this is needed, consider the 
case of the Nazarene, whose sympathies for his 
fellowmen brought him to the cross. 

"All that elevates the sense of power, the will 
to power, and power itself is good. Bad is all 
that proceeds from weakness. The weak and de- 
fective must go to the wall, and we must help 
them go." . . . ''Wickedness is man's best strength. 
The greatest wickedness is necessary to the best 
of the over-man. It might be good for the 
preacher of little people that he suffered and bore 
the sins of man. But I rejoice in the great sins 
as my great consolation.". . "There are only three 
respects in which the masses — the herd — appear 
to me to deserve a glance: — First as blurred 
copies of great men executed on bad paper 
and from worn-out plates; secondly, as opposites 

90 



Antichrist 

to the great; and lastly, as instruments of the 
great; for the rest let them go to the Devil and 
to Statistics."* 

And here we contrast the published 
Beatitudes of antichrist with those of 
Jesus : 

("Blessed are the poor of spirit, for theirs is 
the kingdom of heaven.) Blessed are the fierce 
and proud in spirit, for theirs are the kingdoms 
of earth. 

(Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be 
comforted.) Blessed are the successful, that 
shout and laugh, for they shall need no comfort. 

(Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit 
the earth.) Blessed are the dominant, for they 
shall subdue the earth. 

(Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst 
after righteousness, for they shall be filled.) 
Blessed are they that hunger for power, place, 
glory, conquest, and ride rough-shod over right- 
eousness, for they shall find success. 

(Blessed are the merciful, for they shall ob- 
tain mercy.) Blessed are they of **Blood and 
iron," the ruthless and the cruel, for they shall 
obtain praise and possessions. For what good is 
mercy? 

(Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall 
see God.) Blessed are the warmakers, for they 

* Bemhardi and Treitschke. 

91 



The New Patriotism 

shall be called the children of Odin, who is 
greater than the soft God of love. 

(Blessed are they that are persecuted for 
righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of 
heaven.) Blessed are they that persecute, kill, 
and destroy for their nation's sake, for theirs is 
the rule on earth." 

If the spirit and teaching of Jesus 
is summarized in the words ''righteous- 
ness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost," 
I ask you of v^hom are such words 
as the foregoing the photograph? Few 
can read such philosophy without feel- 
ing that they have been wading through 
a sewer. One is inclined to agree with a 
prominent statesman who has pro- 
nounced these words "The literature of 
the devil"; and with another who says 
of such philosophy, ''It is organized in- 
sanity." The latter diagnosis must be 
very near the truth, inasmuch as the 
most prominent exponent of this gospel 
of brute force actually went crazy and 
died in a madhouse. 

Certainly, "might regardless of right" 
is antichristian. There is here no sem- 
blance of masquerading. Is this the 
antichrist which was to appear in the last 
time? I wonder. Be that as it may, the 

92 



Antichrist 

marvel is how any considerable number 
of people can bring themselves to es- 
pouse such absurd teaching. 

In a recent book the popularity of 
antichrist is accounted for upon the 
ground that his philosophy makes a 
strong appeal to the super-man. 'Xet 
me remind you that in human life as a 
whole there are elements and forces, 
there are motives and ideals, which 
defy the analysis of reason — mysterious 
and dark forces. And in war this ele- 
ment tends to assert itself. It as- 
sumes forms that sometimes are daz- 
zling in their beauty; sometimes are 
wrapped in a kind of transcendental won- 
der; sometimes, in appearance at least, 
are simply utilitarian, or chimerical, or 
fantastic. But all alike have this quality 
of defying reason, of eluding the grasp of 
the mind when exercised in formal judg- 
ment merely. It is easy, for example, 
to demonstrate that the glory of battle 
is an illusion; but by the same argument 
you can demonstrate that all glory and 
life itself is an illusion and a mockery. 
Nevertheless men still live and go on 
pursuing that illusion and that mockery.*' 

9S 



The New Patriotism 

The argument is based on the fact that 
mihtarism transcends reason. A man may 
reason — never so hard, but the spirit of 
mihtarism makes an appeal so great that 
he jumps over reason. Well, the same is 
true of the spirit of Christ. If you want 
an appeal that transcends reason, re- 
flect upon the effect of the vision of 
Jesus upon Saul of Tarsus. There was an 
appeal that transcended reason! Can 
the annals of warfare present a more 
notable example? 

Again, this author argues, that men 
follow antichrist because he makes a 
powerful appeal to the heart. This he 
illustrates by the brass band compell- 
ing the peaceful citizens to keep step 
with martial airs. True, what man of 
red blood has not experienced such thrills. 
But, does not Christ's program of con- 
quest make an equal appeal to the heart? 
Think of the Progressive convention, 
where even the reporters who were sent 
to ridicule were so swept by the spirit of 
altruism, that they described the meeting 
as an old-fashioned revival. Appeal to 
the heart of man? The antichrist can 
furnish no parallel to Pentecost, where all 

94 



Antichrist 

international line fences went down before 
the flood of a great heart appeal. 

To further account for the appeal of 
the antichrist, it is argued that mili- 
tarism inspires to noble deeds. Here the 
champion of militarism paints a picture 
that has few equals in literature: '^As an 
illustration of what I mean by that which 
stands above reason, let me speak to you 
for a moment of that incident in the Ant- 
arctic zone, which but a few weeks ago 
was absorbing the imagination of every 
man and woman. Let me speak to you of 
Captain Scott and his heroic band. . . . 
Imagine to yourselves that vast, that 
shapeless desolation that reigns there for- 
ever around the austral pole, league on 
frost-bound league. Death's appanage, 
untainted by any life eternally, not a mo- 
tion except the wild rage of the tempest 
or the silent fall of ice-flakes through the 
windless air. . . . Why have they come 
hither — these Englishmen.^ What is the 
madness that has drawn them from their 
secure homes in Devonshire or Suffolk, 
Ireland or the Welsh border, to die thus 
agonizing here.? That is the question 
which, by not too daring a metaphor, 

95 



The New Patriotism 

the Southern Cross might ask as through 
that long night, she looks down upon the 
English dead extended there in frozen 
rigidity unmoving. To what possible end 
have they come here? Assuredly for no 
mere utilitarian end. The lure that has 
led them to their glory and their rest is 
Reason indeed, the increase of Knowl- 
edge, but something higher also. ... In 
that courage you have something spir- 
itual, mysterious. ... Here, surely, we 
have a kind of heroism which it would 
daunt the courage of any pacificist, of 
any doctrinaire, to explain by the profit 
and loss theory or to analyze by the 
ordinary processes of reason at all.''* 

Far be it from me to discount such 
heroism. One tingles with admiration as 
one reads. But for every such example 
of military heroism we might present 
a hundred examples of Christian heroism. 
I wonder if the author ever heard of 
Livingston? Did he ever hear of Moffett? 
Has he read the life of Morrison? Has 
he ever heard of Marcus Whitman, the 
hero of our great Northwest? These 

*J. A. Cramb. 

96 



Antichrist 

men, from contact with Jesus Christ, 
braved every conceivable hardship and 
privation and finally presented to the 
world, not tightly locked gates of ice but 
wide-open doors of commerce and good 
will. Has the author, who defends the 
antichrist on the ground that he inspires 
to noble deeds, ever read missionary 
history? If so, he has certainly blundered 
into the trap of his own logic. 

Likewise, we are told that militarism 
makes red blood and courage. Courage on 
the battlefield is cited as proof, but 
what of the courage of Christian mar- 
tyrs.? Is there nothing to be said of the 
courage of men and women who have 
died alone, without cheering comrades, 
inspiring band music, and world balco- 
nies filled with eager spectators to ap- 
plaud their valor? Is there no place in the 
honor roll for those who have stood abso- 
lutely alone for an unpopular cause? 
Listen! Do you not hear the roar of the 
enraged and hungry lions and the cruel 
laughter of the spectators as the martyr 
falls in the arena? Red blood? Well, if 
this is not courage, what is? 

It is time we realize that the anti- 

97 



The New Patriotism 

christ is a mere copyist. A prominent 
educator has put the case thus: ''What we 
need is a moral equivalent for war." 
Let us be done with the imitation and 
espouse the real. The more superior 
courage, is that marshaled for the great 
moral conflicts of the world. 

There are those who confidently tell 
us that antichrist will shortly appear 
in the person of a mighty king, presi- 
dent, czar, or emperor. He will rule 
the earth with a rod of iron and all na- 
tions will pay him tribute. Possibly so, 
but what is far more certain, Christ 
will ere long ascend the throne of a king- 
dom reaching from the ''river to the 
ends of the earth." He will not force 
His way to the throne; He will be wel- 
comed; all earthly rulers casting their 
crowns before Him with the words, 
*'Thou only are worthy." Lest we for- 
get this outstanding expectation of the 
ages, may pride give place to humility, 
and hatred to sympathy, as the in- 
spired words of Mr. Kipling become the 
prayer of every heart before me: 

God of our fathers, known of old, 
Lord of our far-flung battle line, 

98 



Antichrist 

Beneath whose awful hand we hold 

Dominion over palm and pine, — 
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, 
Lest we forget — lest we forget! 

The tumult and the shouting dies; 

The captain and the kings depart; 
Still stands thine ancient sacrifice. 

An humble and a contrite heart. 
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet. 
Lest we forget — lest we forget! 

If drunk with sight of power, we loose 
Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe. 

Such boasting as the Gentiles use 
Or lesser breeds without the law — 

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet. 
Lest we forget — lest we forget! 



99 



THE LYING SPIRIT 



"And there came forth a spirit, and stood before 
the Lord, and said, I will persuade him. And 
the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he 
said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit 
in the mouth of his prophets." 

—I Kings 22:21, 22 



102 



THE LYING SPIRIT 

A war correspondent tells this, among 
other interesting and pathetic incidents 
which he has authenticated. In the dusk 
of early morning, after a battle near 
the little town of Blamont, a wounded 
Frenchman from Montmartre discovered 
a Luxembourger lying within a yard of 
him, whom he had known as a messenger 
in a big Paris hotel. The instantaneous 
recollection brought tears into the eyes 
of both men. 'Tt is stupid — this war/* 
said the German with broken words 
and weakened voice. '^You and I were 
happy when we were good friends in 
Paris. Why should we have been made 
to fight each other.?" Seeing that life 
was fast ebbing away, the Frenchman 
placed his own water bottle to the 
parched lips of his friend and replied: 
''There will be no war on the other side." 
The German died with his arms around 
the neck of the soldier who told the 

108 



The New Patriotism 

story to the correspondent, unashamed 
of his own tears. The question which 
this dying man asked his old friend is the 
question the world is asking to-day: 
*'Why is it?" Let us seek some explana- 
tion. 

In the story of the lying spirit a plausi- 
ble answer is suggested. Ahab was the 
war lord of his day and the great Jehosh- 
aphat was a God-fearing king. Ahab 
proposes to Jehoshaphat that they jointly 
go up to Ramoth-gilead and give battle 
to Benhadad, king of Damascus. Over- 
awed and somewhat flattered by the 
proposal, Jehoshaphat is inclined to ac- 
cept the invitation. But his caution 
leads him to say, 'Tirst, I must know 
the will of Almighty God." Accordingly 
a conference is convened in the plaza 
before the great gate of Samaria. Four 
hundred prophets assemble. The two 
kings are seated upon thrones placed on 
either side of the gate, arrayed in royal 
robes. The question is propounded, to 
the prophets: ^^Shall we go up to fight, 
or shall we forbear.?" A vote is taken. 
The verdict is unanimous. "Yes, God 
says go." One of the prophets, Zedekiah, 

104 



The Lying Spirit 

came forward and presented to Ahab 
a pair of iron horns, saying "With these 
thou shalt push the Assyrians until 
thou utterly destroy them/' But the 
God-fearing king was not convinced. 
A unanimous verdict is dangerous. When 
everybody agrees, look out. For, if we 
read the history of the world, it is in 
difference of opinion that God usually 
speaks. So, king Jehoshaphat inquires: 
**Is there no other prophet in Samaria?*' 
**Well,'' says Ahab, ''there is one, but 
I hate him because he prophecies evil." 
The absent prophet is summoned. The 
question is propounded to him. ''Shall 
we go and fight against Ramoth-gilead 
or shall we forbear .^^ Micaiah answers: 
"Go and prosper; for the Lord shall 
deliver it into the hand of the king." 
But detecting insincerity, the king says, 
"How many times shall I adjure thee 
that thou tell me nothing but that 
which is true in the name of the Lord?" 
Then the minority speaks out: 

"And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of 
the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, 
and all the host of heaven standing by him 
on his right hand and on his left. 

105 



The New Patriotism 

**And the Lord said, Who shall persuade Ahab 
that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? 
And one said on this manner, and another said 
on that manner. 

"And there came forth a spirit and stood before 
the Lord, and said, I will persuade him. 

**And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? 
And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying 
spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he 
said. Thou shall persuade him, and prevail also; 
go forth and do so. 

**Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a 
lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, 
and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee." 

Then Zedekiah, leader of the four hun- 
dred prophets, who had voted for wslt, 
smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and 
the king cast him into prison and com- 
manded, 'Teed him on bread and water 
until I get back from Samaria." Thus 
Ahab and Jehoshaphat went up to Ram- 
oth-gilead. And the king of Israel 
said unto Jehoshaphat, ''I will disguise 
myself, and enter into the battle; but 
you put on your robes.'' And Scrip- 
ture describes how a certain man drew 
a bow at a venture and smote king 
Ahab and he fell and the armies were 
routed with a tremendous loss. 

106 



The Lying Spirit 

Thus history discloses a secret for the 
present generation. The vile treachery 
of the human heart is uncloaked. Ly- 
ing spirits have been influencing prophets 
in every era and misguided mortals con- 
tinue to go forth to foreordained defeat. 

Let us now reflect upon three lies which 
just now stand forth in all their enormity. 
The lying spirit is working right here 
in America, disseminating falsehood. 

"The way to prepare for peace is 
to prepare for war." A specious lie, 
yet the nations of the world have be- 
lieved it true. Thus it has come about 
that Germany claims she is fighting for 
the peace of Europe; and England, 
France and Russia also declare they are 
fighting for the peace of Europe. They 
have all been arming themselves for 
purposes of peace. They have loaded 
down their overburdened people with 
taxes to the point of crushing, with a 
single objective in view — ^peace. They 
have believed the lying spirit. A very 
ancient proverb is ''Sow a thought, 
reap an act; sow an act, reap a habit; 
sow a habit, reap a character; sow a 
character, reap a destiny.'' This sum- 

107 



The New Patriotism 

mary of life philosophy has stood the 
test of time. All the world knows now, 
if never before, that stressing war is 
not conducive to peace. What an ex- 
pensive line of insurance this is — and 
it don't insure. 

Hear the confession of the eminent 
British statesman, Lord James Brice. 
We find it, over his own signature, in 
a letter dated Sept. 17, 1914, to Dr. 
Eliot of Harvard, his intimate friend 
for more than forty years: 

"Most persons in this country, including all 
those who work for peace, agree with you in 
deploring the vast armaments which European 
States have been piling up, and will hope with 
you that after this war they may be reduced — 
and safely reduced — to slender dimensions. Their 
existence is a constant menace to peace. They 
foster that spirit of militarism which has brought 
these horrors on the world; for they create in 
the great countries of the continent a large and 
powerful military and naval caste which lives for 
war, talks and writes incessantly of war, and 
glorifies war as a thing good in itself. 

It is (as you say) to the peoples that we must 
henceforth look to safeguard international con- 
cord. They bear the miseries of war, they ought 
to have the power to arrest the action of those 
who are hurrying them into it." 

108 



The Lying Spirit 

And let no American, from his arm chair 
of complacency, imagine that only Eu- 
rope has been thus deceived by the lying 
spirit. England expends about four hun- 
dred millions and the United States about 
three hundred millions per year, in times 
of peace. Did you ever ask: ''What is 
done with the taxes collected from me?'' 
Will it surprise you to learn that out of 
every dollar the United States Govern- 
ment collects, sixty-five cents goes for 
war and its accessories, and only thirty- 
five cents for legitimate (in lieu of a better 
term) national development? These are 
startling but accredited figures. We have 
come by them on this wise: 

Never, until very recently, has any 
real effort been made to carefully exam- 
ine the Expenditure Budget of the Uni- 
ted States Government. In December, 
1911, President Taft appointed an Econ- 
omy and Efficiency Commission to look 
into the matter. It was a group of ex- 
perienced men, such as Dr. Frank J. 
Goodnow, the one-time financial adviser 
of the Chinese Government, now Presi- 
dent of Johns Hopkins University. After 
many months of accurate and painstak- 

109 



The New Patriotism 

ing study, the Commission presented a 
classified report of Government expendi- 
tures. Under ^'Military Expenditures'' 
it was revealed that, including yearly 
obligations incurred by past wars and 
preparation for future wars, the Govern- 
ment is spending sixty-three cents out of 
every dollar received. While for that 
enormous bit of American ''extrava- 
gance,'' the Panama Canal, three cents 
of every dollar is spent; five cents of every 
dollar for improving rivers and harbors; 
four cents of every dollar for agriculture 
and forestry. 

In view of the ease with which political 
orators arouse popular protest against 
extravagant ''pork barrel" and "big 
ditch" expenditures, one wonders that 
so little protest has been heard in the 
past against militarism, greatest of all 
extravagances. But a solitary nation 
dare not economize in this particular. 
True, so much more loudly should we 
cry out that the protest may be heard 
throughout the world. 

With the fidelity of a camera, a cartoon 
in a Western paper depicts this nation's 
attitude of mind. Uncle Sam is seated on 

110 



The Lying Spirit 

the wall of a toy fort, in his right hand is a 
toy gun, in his left hand a string on the 
end of which is a little toy ship. His coun- 
tenance is wrinkled and worried as he 
sighs, ''Oh, dear! I do hope nobody will 
come along and lick me to-day." Does 
not this fairly represent all the nations? 
Are not our forts and battleships mere 
toys.? Do not fortifications topple with 
the ease of a card house.? At least it 
has been proved that by arming to the 
teeth the nations have not secured the 
world against war. 

Another lie is "Peace programs do not 
succeed.'' But, they have worked where 
sincerely tried. We have the honor of 
having been party to the first disarma- 
ment treaty ever signed. It has proved 
an eminent success. In the year 1815 
Mr. Monroe, then Secretary of State, 
negotiated with Great Britain a treaty 
of peace, in which it was mutually agreed 
that there should be no fortifications 
or soldiers upon the boundary line be- 
tween the Dominion of Canada and the 
United States. The treaty was signed. 
The nations smiled and shook their heads. 
There is not to be found a defense of 

111 



The New Patriotism 

any kind along 3,000 miles of inter- 
national boundary. Many have been the 
questions, vexatious and intricate, in- 
volving the honor of America and Great 
Britain, any one of which might easily 
have plunged the nations into bloody 
war. Nevertheless, during one hundred 
years peace and good feeling have pre- 
vailed. If one hundred years, why not one 
thousand? If between United States and 
Great Britain, why not between all nations ? 

The individual who goes armed is apt 
to get into trouble. This is equally true of 
the nation. When Great Britain and the 
United States agreed to lay down their 
arms they took out the cheapest and most 
reliable form of insurance policy. 

We are now being told ''Christianity 
is a failure." This too is the voice of 
the lying spirit. This is the most superla- 
tive lie. Pray, when was Christianity 
tried.? It has never been tried. We have 
talked about trying it. We have written 
and preached about trying it. Chris- 
tianity has never been fairly tried out 
by the nations. The military man, the 
commercial genius, the scholar and the 
reformer have all had a chance at world 

112 



The Lying Spirit 

building, and failed. Why not give the 
Prince of Peace an equal chance to vindi- 
cate His claim. 

On the eve of hostilities, that great 
commoner, Henry Clay, set clearly before 
the North and South the position in 
which they stood. His words were states- 
manlike and clear. "'If you are deter- 
mined not to use the Gospel method of 
settling our present disputes, then let 
us have more soldiers. I am not in favor 
of sitting down between two chairs.'' 
The issue to-day could not be put more 
tersely. Shall we listen to the lying 
spirit or are we ready to place ourselves 
under the influence of the Holy Spirit? 

A few years ago it was my good 
fortune to spend July 4th in London. 
Imagine the surprise and thrill as, lift- 
ing my eyes, I saw upon the flagstaflF 
of the Parliament buildings, not the Brit- 
ish flag, but Old Glory. The stars and 
stripes, on the British Parliament build- 
ings — on July 4th! I was thunderstruck. 
Carried away by enthusiasm I called to 
my friends: ''Look! Look! Christianity 
has conquered ! Here in London they are 
celebrating the victory of Yorktown. 

113 



The New Patriotism 

That is splendid!'' Then someone cor- 
rected me. "No, they are celebrating 
the glory of the tie that binds." Chris- 
tianity a failure? Christian friends, wake 
up! Wake up! What the spirit of Al- 
mighty God can do for Great Britain 
and the United States of America it 
can do for the world. If Christianity 
can weld together two great nations 
so that discord, hatred and strife give 
place to friendliness, fellowship and co- 
operation, why not all the nations that 
profess to be Christian.^ 

The General Assembly of the Presby- 
terian Church was in session in a western 
city. Suddenly there was a hush, as all 
business was suddenly arrested. A gen- 
tleman had handed the moderator a bit of 
brown paper. He read it, and then rising 
brought down his gavel with a resound- 
ing bang. ''Will the Assembly please 
come to order? I have just received 
this message from a similar gathering 
across the sea. Gentlemen, pay atten- 
tion.'' And the message was this: 

To the General Assembly in the United States 

of America: 
Fathers and Brethren: — *'Make Jesus King." 

114 



The Lying Spirit 

You should have seen the effect of that 
message — coming out of infinite space — 
coming from the hearts of brethren on 
the other side and entering the hearts of 
brethren on this side! The effect was 
electrical. The Assembly broke into 
tumultuous applause, so prolonged that 
the moderator with difficulty brought the 
body to order. Then from a remote corner 
of the great convention hall came the 
strains of Zeuner's missionary chant. 
From lip to lip and heart to heart it 
passed until the entire Assembly was 
swept by a sea of praise as they sang: 

'*Jesus shall reign where'er the sun 
Does his successive journeys run 
His Kingdom stretch from shore to shore 
'Til moons shall wax and wane no more.** 

Will any one venture to dispute that 
some such scene will be witnessed in 
national assemblages when there flashes 
across sea and border the message '*Make 
Jesus King"? 



116 



THE UNFINISHED TASK OF 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



"Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, cir- 
cumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scyth- 
ian, bondman nor freeman: but Christ is all, 
and in all." 

COLOSSIANS 3:11 



118 



THE UNFINISHED TASK OF 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

The closing hours of the RepubHcan 
convention had arrived. Having been 
named for the United States Senate, 
Mr. Lincoln arose in all his gauntness 
and towering grandeur and began to 
speak. 

^'Gentlemen of the Convention: If we 
could first know where we are, and whith- 
er we are tending, we could better judge 
what to do and how to do it. In my 
opinion, a house divided against itself 
cannot stand. I believe that this Govern- 
ment cannot endure permanently, half 
slave and half free. I do not expect the 
Union to be dissolved — I do not expect 
the house to fall — I do expect it will 
cease to be divided. It will become all 
one thing or all the other.*' 

These few sentences give us the meas- 
ure of Abraham Lincoln and the measure 
of his vision. Clearly perceiving the 

119 



The New Patriotism 

inevitable ruin in which selfish views of 
State rights would involve the country, 
he dedicated his superb powers of heart 
and mind to a view of patriotism large 
enough to include all States and all 
races. It was a remote prospect. Never- 
theless, with utmost constancy he kept 
clearly before the people his vision and 
purpose. Often did time-serving poli- 
ticians seek to dissuade him and turn 
him from the goal. 

The evening of his memorable debate 
at Freeport (August 27, 1858) he an- 
nounced that on the morrow he would 
throw down a challenge to Mr. Douglas 
and force him to declare himself upon 
this subject of State rights. He was 
counseled not to do so, it being foreseen 
that Douglas would make but one answer, 
and that answer would win him a senator- 
ship. But Mr. Lincoln replied, "T am 
after much larger game. The battle of 
two years hence is worth a hundred 
battles like the present one.'' He be- 
lieved that the very declaration which 
would win a senatorship for Douglas 
would bar his way to the presidency. 
And it did, for it hopelessly divided the 

120 



Unfinished Task of Abraham Lincoln 

Democratic party. It is not likely that 
Mr. Lincoln expected to be elected 
President two years later. But, he ex- 
pected to make the issue of the suc- 
ceeding campaign the issue announced 
in his "House divided against itself' 
speech at the Springfield convention. 

Then came the Civil War with its 
high water mark at Gettysburg. When 
the flood of affliction subsided, behold 
Abraham Lincoln again calling the peo- 
ple of the country to the standard which 
he had upraised. In the words of the 
Gettysburg speech we see again his 
vision. *'It is for us, the living, to be 
dedicated here to the unfinished work 
which they who fought here have thus 
far so nobly advanced. It is rather for 
us to be here dedicated to the great task 
remaining before us, that from these 
honored dead we take increased devotion 
to the cause for which they gave the 
last full measure of loyalty; that the 
nation, under God, shall have a new birth 
of freedom." ''The house divided against 
itself" was still uppermost in his vision. 

Fifty-one years have passed since the 
martyred President called the American 

121 



The New Patriotism 

people to that dedication, and it would 
seem we are as far from the goal as we 
were in '61. The questions of personal 
liberty and State rights are as vexed and 
embarrassing as they were in those days. 
Business is in a tangle; the sanctity of 
marriage is in a tangle; because, after 
all these years, we are still a ''house 
divided against itself.'' Behold our fair 
State of New York in the recent wrangle 
with the Federal Government over Ni- 
agara Falls. 

The task to which Mr. Lincoln dedi- 
cated his life remains unfinished. The 
issues of the Civil War remain undecided. 
I appeal to your heart; I call upon you, 
as American citizens, to awake out of 
sleep, and see to it that the Nation, 
conceived in liberty, shall indeed have, 
under God, a new birth of freedom, and 
that the ''government of the people, by 
the people, and for the people, shall not 
perish from the earth." 

In this connection, let me present for 
your consideration the inspiring vision of 
our task completed, "Where there cannot 
be Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor un- 
circumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond- 

122 



Unfinished Task of Abraham Lincoln 

man nor freeman; but Christ is all, and 
in all/' (Col. 3:11.) It is remarkable, how 
much can be concentrated in a few words. 
The Bible is wonderful in this respect. The 
finest picture of a united house, a united 
nation, a united world, is found in these 
few words. 

Please notice the far-reaching signifi- 
cance of the union here spoken of. It 
is a union of nationalities; "where there 
cannot be Greek nor Jew." The Greek 
and the Jew represented a distinction 
and distinctiveness so radical that one 
would scarcely believe it possible they 
could be united. They differed in race, 
customs, tendencies, ideals and language. 
When society is united in a genuine 
brotherhood of man, there cannot be Jew 
nor Greek. 

"There cannot be circumcision or un- 
circumcision." Here we have the antip- 
odes of ritualistic distinction. This 
alludes to the divisions existing among 
men on account of religious training and 
ancestry. Over such matters of religious 
form and ceremony battles have been 
fought, the map of the world has been 
changed, and inhumanities have been 

US 



The New Patriotism 

practiced in the name of righteousness. 
How bitter the strife has been over the 
meaning of sacraments, vows, forms, cere- 
monials. And yet we have in the picture 
before us, a union so complete that there 
cannot longer be differences between the 
circumcision and the uncircumcision. 

The Barbarian and the Scythian are 
included in the bonds of this perfect 
brotherhood. The Barbarian was the for- 
eigner, the Scythian was the savage. Re- 
jBnement and lack of refinement are 
distinctions which will not obtrude when 
Lincoln's dream has been realized. 

Finally, ''there cannot be bondmen or 
freemen.'* That is to say, social distinc- 
tions are to be abolished. There is to be 
a leveling up, and not a leveling down. 

What a magnificent picture of an ideal 
state of society! Is this not the very 
goal which the world is seeking.? "The 
brotherhood of man." How much we 
hear about it. It is discussed in the 
forum and from the pulpit. The poetry, 
the music, the art, the literature of the 
age pulsate with Brotherhood! Brother- 
hood! Brotherhood! Ah, friends, this 
was Lincoln's dream. It is my dream; 

124 



Unfinished Task of Abraham Lincoln 

I hope, your dream. But, the task is 
unfinished. The ''house is still divided 
against itself," while we pray for the 
coming of the day when this union of 
mankind shall be an established fact. 
Fellow countrymen, I hold before you 
the vision of the completed task. I 
would impress upon your minds the 
thought that Abraham Lincoln was a 
prophet of better days, and that his 
spirit stands just yonder within the shad- 
ow calling us to finish the task which 
he so nobly undertook. 

Must you be reminded that this is a 
stupendous task — a task far beyond hu- 
man power to accomplish.^ Surely every 
thoughtful person will exclaim with one 
of old, "Who then is sufiicient for these 
things?" 

In the words which we are considering 
is given not only the scope of the ideal 
Brotherhood, but the process by which it 
is to be attained. The foundation for 
such a union is a kindred spirit, shared 
by all. ''Christ is all, and in all." 

How simple, how easily within reach 
is the goal for which men have been 
struggling throughout the centuries. The 

125 



The New Patriotism 

Brotherhood of man is at our very door. 
When we truly open our hearts to the 
Elder Brother we shall find ourselves in 
the bosom of a vast family. 

Think of the spectacle of wasted energy 
and evaporating idealism! We are striv- 
ing with every endeavor to promote a civ- 
ilization which shall include all men in 
its beneficence. Volumes have been writ- 
ten suggesting short cuts to the fulfill- 
ment of Lincoln's dream, the completion 
of Lincoln's task: books on economics; 
books on sociology; books on law and 
ethics; books on theology and benevo- 
lence. Think of the organizations that 
have co-operated in the endeavor. Or- 
ganizations for relief, for prevention, for 
social service, for human betterment, for 
political reforms, for civic righteousness. 
The while Jesus is standing at the door, 
declaring that He it is who is the light of 
the world; that He is the Savior of men; 
that if we will but receive Him, He will 
make us new creatures, and the world a 
new world. Angels weep that men should 
graze the gates of Paradise, and then 
drive on to destruction ! Oh, for more men 
with the spirit of Abraham Lincoln; their 

126 



Unfinished Task of Abraham Lincoln 

vision clear as to the goal before them; 
their hearts sweetened by the very bitter- 
ness of life; their eyes made tender and 
cleansed of all misjudgment by tears 
of earnest yearning and human sympa- 
thy. Men of America, women of America, 
I call upon you to take up the task which 
our immortal President laid down. I call 
upon you to rally to that challenge of 
Gettysburg; to make yourselves worthy of 
the ancestry of which you boast; to pass 
on to succeeding generations your vision 
unclouded, your ideals, undimmed. 

"When Christ shall be all in all," 
there will be no differences. There can 
be no ''house divided against itself 
where Jesu^ reigns supreme in the hearts 
of those who make up the household. 
Therefore, bring the world to Christ. 

Perhaps you think this an idle dream, 
but, I for one, am fully persuaded that 
the dream can be realized within a single 
generation; yea, less than that, if we will 
allow Christ to enter our hearts in reality, 
if we will preach Him as the Savior of 
the world. The mind is skeptical, but the 
heart believeth. 

Those of you who have read ''Helen's 

127 



The New Patriotism 

Babies/' will recall a story which the 
uncle tells to his little nephew, Budge. 
"During the Civil War in America, two 
troops of horsemen approached each 
other, the one from the Federal, and the 
other from the Confederate lines. In- 
stantly aware of each other's presence, 
both made a charge. But a little fellow 
who had been picking blackberries in 
the woods, at the critical moment crossed 
the road, stumbled and fell between the 
advancing soldiers, and burst out crying. 
An officer cried "Halt!" The bugles 
sounded. Every horse stopped. A soldier 
dismounted, and, picking up the boy, 
endeavored to comfort him. Then a 
soldier from the other side came forward 
to lend a hand. Others gathered around 
the crying child. And they never fought 
the battle, for, said they, "We did not 
feel like fighting just then." I am not 
prepared to say that this is authentic 
history. But, is it not a perfect picture 
of human nature.? There are instincts, 
continually being awakened in our hearts, 
which indicate how ready we are to bury 
animosities and become brethren in a 
common sense. 

128 



Unfinished Task of Abraham Lincoln 

Everywhere, the march of events is 
toward Lincoln's goal. The world is mov- 
ing upward and onward. America is 
moving outward and forward. In some 
respects we are setting the pace. Cer- 
tainly we are proving theories. Our 
country is a melting pot. Our cities 
are the world's laboratories where experi- 
ments are tried and hopes demonstrated. 
When Europe declares co-operation and 
good will unworkable among people of 
differing race and creed, who live at close 
quarters, we point to New York wherein 
there are more Irish than in Belfast, 
Dublin or Cork; more Germans than in 
Leipzig or Frankfort; more Italians than 
in Rome; more Jews than the entire 
population of Maine. It has been esti- 
mated that if the land in Greater New 
York were allotted equally and every 
inhabitant called upon to stand in the 
center of his own little plot, there would 
be less than fifteen feet between any one 
and his neighbor. There's proximity 
for you! And yet we manage to dwell 
together in reasonable peace and good 
will. From which we conclude that the 
hope of St. Paul, the prayer of Jesus, 

129 



The New Patriotism 

and the dream of Abraham Lincoln are 
well within the realm of possibility. 

One question remains to be answered. 
In the nature of the ease it must be 
very personal. What kind of Americans 
are we? Are we the Fourth of July 
type, whose patriotism explodes in volu- 
ble boasting, or are we the Lincoln type, 
with clear ideals and consecrated to a 
great and splendid program.? Fellow 
Americans, the centuries look down upon 
us and the nations look up to us. I 
challenge you to light your torches at 
Lincoln's altar fire and dedicate your lives 
to the completion of Lincoln's task. 



130 



CAN WE AFFORD THE 
MILLENNIUM ? 



"But Jesus answered, how hard is it for them 
that trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of God ! 
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a 
needle." 

— Mar^ 10:24, 25 



182 



CAN WE AFFORD THE 
MILLENNIUM? 

^^Can we afford the millennium?" Is 
a question editorially asked in a great 
daily. Few fail to see the advantage 
of ideal social conditions. The difficulty 
is they come high. Numberless attempts 
have been made to create the millennium 
by ballot. But, as usually transpires, the 
first to cry out in protest are those who 
had been enthusiastic for the new order. 
The experience of a great and progres- 
sive western state illustrates this. A 
program of much needed reform was put 
through by the voters. The state was 
to subsidize the home. Poverty should 
no longer separate children from their 
parents. All school teachers must be 
pensioned. The aged shall receive an 
annual income from the state. Union 
wages shall be paid for all work done in 
prisons. Such were some of the planks 
in the platform. Then came the pinch, 

133 



The New Patriotism 

for taxes went soaring; and the protest 
arose upon every side; "We can't afford it." 

The problem of social reform narrows 
itself down to a single question: Is the 
reformer ready to pay his share for the 
millennium? Are we prepared to sacri- 
fice personal inconvenience in the in- 
terest of the universal good ? Sinners 
do not delay the millennium half so 
much as some good people. 

A few years ago, there was great re- 
joicing among a certain class of New 
Yorkers. The hard fought election had 
swept a reform candidate into oiSice. 
The election of Mayor Strong was uni- 
versally regarded a great victory for 
the forces of righteousness. The first 
move of the new administration was, not 
for new laws, but the enforcement of 
those already upon the statute books. 
One of these laws, drafted in the interest 
of better fire protection, fixed a limit 
to the distance a sign was to protrude 
above the sidewalk. Among those who 
were inconvenienced by the enforcement 
of this law, was an ardent reformer, 
a retail merchant, who was asked to re- 
duce the size of an illuminated shoe. 

134 



Can We Afford the Millennium? 

Enthusiasm gave way to indignation 
as he protested ''That's the last reform 
ticket I'll ever vote." 

Another law prohibited any one from 
leaving a wagon standing upon the side- 
walk, when not in use. In the interest 
of public safety and comfort this law 
was enforced. This inconvenienced an- 
other reformer who gave vent to his 
spleen in the words, "'You can always 
trust a reform administration to do fool 
things.'' 

Still another, a merchant, whose store 
was located in the red light district, 
complained bitterly because his business 
had fallen off as a result of closing evil 
resorts in the neighborhood. 

These were all good church people 
who prayed ''Thy kingdom come," but 
they were quite unwilling to pay for it 
even to the small extent of personal 
inconvenience. Similar observations could 
be made regarding more recent plans 
for social betterment. We are reformers 
so long as the other man does the re- 
forming. So, it seems altogether proper 
to ask the question: Can we afford the 
millennium.'^ 

135 



The New Patriotism 

When Jesus said, "It is easier for a 
camel to go through the eye of a needle 
than for a rich man to enter into the 
kingdom of God'' there was local setting 
(now wanting) to lend clearness to the 
application. We are not to regard this as 
a condemnation of wealth. It is rather 
the statement of a fact, involving rich 
and poor alike. The needle's eye was a 
small gate within a larger, more cumber- 
some gate. Let us imagine a camel has 
been brought loaded, to the portal of an 
enclosure. Not wishing to open the large 
gate the driver commands the camel to 
kneel with his head toward the gate. The 
pack is removed from the dromedary's 
back, the small gate is opened and he 
crawls through the small opening upon 
his knees. All classes of men, all nations, 
must do considerable kneeling and un- 
loading; selfishness, hatred and the like 
must be removed before they are able to 
enter the kingdom. 

A splendid illustration of what, as 
it seems to me, was in the mind of Jesus, 
is this incident: "Daniel Dow and Hans 
Ruser are ^alien enemies.' They are, more- 
over, ofiicers of the Naval Reserve of their 

136 



Can We Afford the Millennium? 

respective countries. One is captain of the 
Lusitania, the other of the Vaterland, the 
*crack' ships of the rival hnes. When 
Captain Dow, some weeks since, heard 
of a rumor that British ships were sig- 
nahng offensive messages to the Vater- 
land, he happened to be dining with 
Captain Ruser and his wife. 

" *I told him what I had heard,' said 
Captain Dow, 'and he smiled.' ' 'Triend 
Hans," ' I said, ' ''we will do something 
to give this report the lie when I sail on 
Wednesday morning for Liverpool. You 
have your crew on deck aft with the 
quartermaster standing by the ensign 
when I go out, and I will look out for 
the ship.'' 

" 'As the Lusitania passed the Vater- 
land I dipped the ensign to the German 
liner and Captain Ruser dipped his in 
return.' " 

One can scarcely imagine a more diffi- 
cult exemplification of the spirit of the 
Master's teaching. That two men of such 
prominence could unload and kneel, when 
general feeling is so tense, is certainly 
a hopeful sign, to say the least. Imagine 
the effect, if any considerable number 

137 



The New Patriotism 

of the world's contending factions be- 
came imbued with a Hke spirit. 

Under the transforming touch of a new 
journahsm a number of editors have be- 
come mighty preachers. Here is a recent 
editorial sermon on the responsibility of 
the individual for conditions: "We get 
as tired of politics as does everybody 
else in the United States who is not pro- 
fessionally engaged in that vocation. 
Politics consists mainly in telling you 
that you personally are all right and 
that your troubles arise from various 
things outside of you — such as a money 
trust, a tariff, a banking system. 

* 'Examine that proposition candidly 
in the light of your own experience. Look 
at your own life and at the lives of all 
the people you know well. Is not nearly 
all the trouble in the field of your ex- 
perience due to faults of the individual 
on which you can lay your finger? 

'*The most useful person in the United 
States to-day would be a true evangelist 
with the popular power of Roosevelt, 
Bryan and Wilson — a fine, craggy, per- 
son, who would stand up before us and 
say convincingly that we ^personally are 

138 



Can We Afford the Millennium? 

very faulty, and that we need not bother 
much about anything else until we get 
ourselves right.'' 

The world has been upon the threshold 
of the millennium more than once, de- 
laying to enter because of the personal 
cost. ''Thou art not far from the king- 
dom of God/' said Jesus to the scribe; 
but, he would not sacrifice his prejudice 
and race hatred to enter. ''Repent for the 
kingdom of heaven is at hand,'' cried 
John; and his generation turned away 
in disappointment and disgust. 

How long is the human race to con- 
tinue wandering about as did Israel, 
with Canaan hard by.? The journey from 
Egypt to Palestine was quite short. 
Five or six days of continuous marching 
would have brought the Jews into the 
promised land. Yet it took them forty 
years to arrive. Why? They were not 
ready to pay the cost. 

I rejoice to believe that an entirely 
new and better social order is soon to 
emerge from the darkness that envelops 
the world. It is too early, in the half 
light of dawn, for one to read the face 
of the clock, but instinctively and quite 

139 



The New Patriotism 

generally, we feel that a day of peace, 
prosperity and co-operation is back of 
the eastern hills. Just now we are in 
that enchanted realm, half way between 
the bustling land of wide awake and the 
silent country of fast asleep. Since dis- 
coverers, inventors, architects, poets 
and musicians have returned from this 
land of visions and dreams, with bless- 
ings which wondrously enriched the 
world, we can not think it possible that 
the idealist is to be less fortunate. 

"If all the ships I have at sea, 
Should come a-sailing home to me, 
Weighed down with treasures manifold. 
With knowledge, power and wealth untold. 
Ah, me, the poorest man I'd be 
Did not my dream ship come to me. 

"O, skies, be kind; O, winds, blow free; 
Bring all my vessels back to me. 
But, if thou sendest some a wrack 
To never more come sailing back, 
Let this one prayer accepted be! 
Oh, bring my dream ship back to me." 



140 



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